Social media amplifying the call for British Museum to repatriate Easter Island statue

Social media users in Chile are demanding the return of a stone monument taken from Easter Island that is currently housed in the British Museum. The campaign started after an influencer encouraged his followers to flood the museum's Instagram posts with comments demanding the return of the moai statues. The British Museum has two of these statues, which were taken from Easter Island in 1868. One post on social media had its comments deactivated by the museum. The island of Rapa Nui, where Easter Island is located, is famous for these moai statues that represent the spirits of ancestors. Many of the statues remain on the island, but some have been transferred to museums worldwide. The British Museum received the Hoa Hakananai'a statue, along with a smaller moai called Hava, as gifts in 1869. Calls to return the statues to Rapa Nui have been ongoing. Chilean social media influencer Mike Milfort spearheaded the recent campaign, resulting in numerous demands for repatriation in the museum's Instagram comments. Chile's President Gabriel Boric has also expressed support for the campaign. The British Museum, on the other hand, deactivated comments on one post due to safeguarding concerns regarding young people. They stated that while they welcome debate, it must be balanced. The museum claims to maintain good relations with colleagues in Rapa Nui and has hosted visits from the community since 2018. In a similar vein, Greece's prime minister has previously called for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles, from the British Museum. This discussion over returning cultural artifacts to their countries of origin continues to be a prominent issue.