Staff Reports
In a shocking turn of events, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has backtracked on a major decision and announced that two ancient artifacts will be returned to Libya. Hold on to your hats, folks, because this is one wild ride!
We announced the return of two antiquities valued at $1.26M to the people of Libya. The pieces were looted from the ancient city of Cyrene and smuggled by convicted art trafficker Robin Symes. More here: https://t.co/QKLqx0vrPw
— Alvin Bragg (@ManhattanDA) July 14, 2023
The statues in question are being referred to as the “Marble Face of a Ptolemaic Queen” and the “Female Bust” – not exactly the catchiest names, but hey, who needs creativity when you have centuries-old artifacts, right? These historical trinkets are supposedly worth a whopping $1.6 million. Talk about a pricey collectible.
Apparently, these treasures were looted from a cemetery in the ancient city of Cyrene back in the ’80s or ’90s. Who knew grave robbing could be such an art form? The culprit responsible for this heinous act is none other than a convicted British art trafficker named Robin Symes. Now, the guy has quite the rap sheet. He’s been working with underground art smuggling networks, catering to wealthy collectors around the globe. Can we say shady?
For some reason, Bragg seems to think this turn of events is a step in the right direction. In his statement, he shamelessly gloats about the return of these artifacts. But let’s take a moment here. Sure, they may be beautiful pieces, but aren’t there more pressing matters that the Manhattan District Attorney should be focused on? Like, I don’t know, combating crime and keeping our streets safe?
It’s not just Bragg who’s celebrating this decision; a Libyan official named Khaled Daief is expressing his “highest appreciation and gratitude” for the artifacts’ return. Wow, hold up! Are we really supposed to be thanking the very same office that took decades to dig up this evidence in the first place? That sounds like a bad detective novel plot if you ask me.
But wait, there’s more! Thomas Acocella, a special agent from Homeland Security Investigations, is also throwing his hat into the ring, claiming that “greed led to the pilfering” of these relics. Oh really, Mr. Agent? You want us to believe that it was all just a case of pure greed? Maybe if we had more effective border control and stricter laws, we wouldn’t have to deal with these artifacts being pilfered in the first place.
It’s clear that this whole situation is nothing more than a misguided attempt at appeasing foreign governments rather than focusing on the real needs of the American people. Let’s hope Manhattan’s DA Bragg gets his priorities straight and starts cracking down on actual criminals instead of playing art restitution hero.
