Protestors held banners reading “Down with capitalism” and “Father of all dictators” at the unveiling on Saturday of a controversial statue of Karl Marx in the German city of Trier, birthplace of the influential philosopher.
The towering bronze sculpture, a gift from China to mark Saturday’s 200th birthday of the founding father of communism, has provoked controversy in Trier, where Marx spent the first 17 years of his life, and beyond.
Marx has a mixed legacy among Germans, with some seeing the Cold War division of the country and erection of the Berlin Wall as a result of his ideas.
“In Germany we have this situation again and again with difficult, complex personalities of history – we want to hide them in the woods,” said Trier mayor Wolfram Leibe.
“Therefore it was a conscious act to bring Karl Marx into the city and onto the Simeonstift square. We don’t have to hide him.”
The city council voted in favour of accepting the gift from the Chinese government by 42 members to seven in March 2017, but the statue has divided opinion.
Some see it as final recognition of Trier’s most famous resident. Others worry that accepting the gift from China is not compatible with criticising the country’s human rights abuses.
Since 2015 China’s President Xi Jinping has presided over a widespread crackdown on human rights activists.
“We stand by the child of our city. And we deal with Karl Marx in a constructive and active way,” said Malu Dreyer, Premier of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, to which Trier belongs.
“We are glad to receive this present, this gesture of friendship,” she added.
The statue depicts a thoughtful but towering Marx, who stands tall at over 5 m (16.4 ft) including the sculpture’s base, holding a book in one hand.
