The uproar underscores a deeper crisis – the museum’s mission to safeguard humanity’s shared legacy is being systematically undermined by commercial greed and colonial-era double standards.
Such commercial exploitation has surely betrayed the sanctity of civilization.
The Greek minister’s criticism echoes a broader consensus among archaeologists and heritage experts: When artifacts are treated as party decor, their dignity is stripped, and their physical safety is at risk.
This is not the first time that the museum has blurred the line between culture and commerce. In 2024, the same room was used for a fashion show, drawing similar protests from Greece.
Due to the 1963 British Museum Act, the law prevents the museum from returning any of its collection permanently except in very limited circumstances.
But what the Pink Ball reveals is that the real obstacle may not be the law, but an attitude. If the British Museum is serious about being a world museum for the world, it should stop treating world heritage as its private party venue.
The British Museum, however, has been hit by a series of scandals involving stolen cultural relics in recent years and cannot even guarantee the safety of its collected cultural relics.
Professor Huo Zhengxin from the China University of Political Science and Law told the Global Times that there is no longer any substantial gap between China’s ability to conduct cultural relic protection, restoration and research and that of Western countries.
