Karl Marx's London grave vandalised again, with red paint

 

LONDON (Reuters) - A memorial to Karl Marx at the cemetery in north London where the 19th century political philosopher is buried has been defaced for the second time in less than a fortnight - this time with red paint.

 

Earlier this month, the monument in Highgate cemetery, which is among British structures listed as being of exceptional historical interest, was damaged with a hammer.

 

Pictures posted on Twitter by the cemetery on Saturday showed the marble gravestone daubed with political slogans.

"Senseless, stupid, Ignorant," the cemetery said. "Whatever you think about Marx's legacy, this is not the way to make the point."

 

A plaque within the gravestone, bearing epitaphs to Marx, his wife and grandson, which was the object of the earlier hammer attack, was also daubed with red paint.

 

The German revolutionary socialist, author of "Das Kapital" and co-author of the "Communist Manifesto", lived in London from 1849 until his death in 1883.

 

His memorial has been attacked in the past with paint, and in 1970 an attempt was made to destroy it with a bomb.

The incident was the latest attack on memorials of historic interest in London.

 

Paint was splashed on a statue of wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill last month and on a sculpture commemorating the Royal Air Force's Bomber Command in London's Green Park.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-02-17

Might be best to take his grave away, like the left are fond of doing to historic statues of heroes

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

Karl Marx's London grave vandalised

It's a communist plot I can assure you.

46 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Might be best to take his grave away, like the left are fond of doing to historic statues of heroes

So..they should also remove Winston Churchill and the Bomber Command Memorial as well...

 

Hard labour for the perpetrators might be a better solution.

58 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Might be best to take his grave away, like the left are fond of doing to historic statues of heroes

Take away his leftovers? That's not right!

1 hour ago, ThreeEyedRaven said:

It's a communist plot I can assure you.

both the act and the grave.

Edited February 17, 20197 yr by animalmagic
misunderstanding

2 hours ago, ThreeEyedRaven said:

It's a communist plot I can assure you.

No, he colluded with Russia....

That'll teach that no-good Commie a lesson!

 

at least they got the paint color right

He died in 1883 more than 30 years before the first communist revolution. His analysis of the social conditions of the working class in the UK was correct ...he could not foresee that his solutions would produce "Animal Farm" situations

1 hour ago, fvw53 said:

He died in 1883 more than 30 years before the first communist revolution. His analysis of the social conditions of the working class in the UK was correct ...he could not foresee that his solutions would produce "Animal Farm" situations

 

Fair point. Corrupt greedy dictatorial tyrants have used his ideology to support their tyrannical dictatorships.

 

I doubt Marx ever intended the ruling elite capitalist class to be replaced by a working class dictator who ruthlessly exterminated all opposition and dispensed with democracy.

2 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Fair point. Corrupt greedy dictatorial tyrants have used his ideology to support their tyrannical dictatorships.

 

I doubt Marx ever intended the ruling elite capitalist class to be replaced by a working class dictator who ruthlessly exterminated all opposition and dispensed with democracy.

I agree with you. 

There is no doubt that czarist Russia needed a severe make over.

And China from extremist capitalist policies and oppression.

Both revolutions occurred after extreme capitalist wars and the population suffered. 

But the communist idyll was false. It was as you stated a ruthless dictatorial tyranny. And still exists in a different form now.

Interesting to see other western democracies are under threat from potential dictators who declare false national emergencies. 

 

Well, between Stalin and Mao you have about 100 million deaths. So I understand why some think he ranks right along with Hitler and does not deserve a memorial stone.

14 minutes ago, Ulic said:

Well, between Stalin and Mao you have about 100 million deaths. So I understand why some think he ranks right along with Hitler and does not deserve a memorial stone.

What because Marx was living multiple lives, sometimes a long dead philosopher at others as Stalin and Mao?

Marx used the term dictatorship of the proletariat f.e. MEW 7, 89 , and you can be shure, he did know the meaning of  dictatorship.  The Bolshevik ( Lenin, Trotsky ...),in Russia  did made this dictatorship come true (and, surprise, surprise it was a dictatorship  of the Bolsheviks and not of the Russian  workers - but they claimed to act in their name).

If need information about what this socialist/communist dictatorship of the proletariat meant in reality, I suggest reading books from    Alexander Solschenizyn (Archipel Gulag), or the Chinese author Jung Chang , Wild Swans and google for Holodomor

24 minutes ago, dieter1 said:

Marx used the term dictatorship of the proletariat f.e. MEW 7, 89 , and you can be shure, he did know the meaning of  dictatorship.  The Bolshevik ( Lenin, Trotsky ...),in Russia  did made this dictatorship come true (and, surprise, surprise it was a dictatorship  of the Bolsheviks and not of the Russian  workers - but they claimed to act in their name).

If need information about what this socialist/communist dictatorship of the proletariat meant in reality, I suggest reading books from    Alexander Solschenizyn (Archipel Gulag), or the Chinese author Jung Chang , Wild Swans and google for Holodomor

Perhaps read a bit more Russian history to get an understanding that totalitarian governments and dictatorship are not concepts introduced to Russia by Socialism.

22 hours ago, Ulic said:

Well, between Stalin and Mao you have about 100 million deaths. So I understand why some think he ranks right along with Hitler and does not deserve a memorial stone.

Considering that Marx was dead around 50 years before Lenin lead the revolution that implemented Communism (not Marxism)

I fail to see why he should be the subject of vandalism (another ism)

And Lenin was long dead before Stalin.

I suspect that some neo nazis who no all that educated or intelligent are responsible for the vandalism.

Your post lacks education too. Marx wrote a manifesto in England and in it he reported the horrendous

conditions of the poor (there was no middle class, The industrial revolution was just beginning.

He did not write the communist manifesto and had no idea that his musings would be perverted by Lenin or Mao.

You might care to at least read google before you make false posts and accusations.