Petition for the Return of the Loot taken from Maqdala (Magdala) Ethiopia, in 1868.

To:  The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair,The British House of Commons: Culture, Media and Sport Committee, The British Library,The British Museum,The Royal Library, Windsor Castle,The Victoria and Albert Museum

"Recalling that the British Expedition against Emperor Tewodros, in 1868, looted the Ethiopian ruler's capital, Maqdala;

"Realising that this looting had no justification in international law, and was in fact an illegal act;

"Remembering that the loot, which was and transported on no less than fifteen elephants and almost 200 mules, included two royal crowns; almost 400 manuscripts, many of them beautifully illustrated; an icon of Christ with the Crown of Thorns, which the Ethiopian army traditionally took with it on campaign; a dozen, tabots, or altar stones; numerous processional and other crosses; two huge royal tents; the Emperor's great royal seal; the amulet he wore round his neck; and even hair from his head, etc., etc.;

"Bearing in mind that most of these artifacts were seized from the Church of Madhane Alam, or Saviour of the World, and thus constituted an undoubted act of sacrilege;

"Noting that the loot from Maqdala is no scattered in numerous British institutions, including the British Museum; the British Library; the Victoria and Albert Museum; the Royal Library, Windsor Castle; the Bodleian Library, Oxford; and Cambridge University Library; as well as in private possession;

We, the undersigned, support for the restitution to Ethiopia of the loot from Maqdala, as demanded by AFROMET, the Association for the Return of Maqdala Ethiopian Treasures".

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Petition for the Return of the Loot taken from Maqdala (Magdala) Ethiopia, in 1868. Petition to The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair,The British House of Commons: Culture, Media and Sport Committee, The British Library,The British Museum,The Royal Library, Windsor Castle,The Victoria and Albert Museum was created by The Ethiopian Community and All Lovers of Justice throughout the World. and written by AFROMET: The Association for the Return of Maqdala Ethiopian Treasures.  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no express or implied endorsement of this petition by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. The petition scripts are created by Mike Wheeler at Artifice, Inc.  For Technical Support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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