Divisions resurface as Germany marks Marx anniversary

AFP
People pose in front of the 4.4 metres (14 feet) high bronze statue of Karl Marx, created by Chinese artist Wu Weishan and donated by China to mark the 200th birth anniversary of the German philosopher, in his hometown Trier, Germany on May 5, 2018. (REUTERS)

BERLIN: Germany marked the 200th anniversary of Karl Marx鈥檚 birth on Saturday, but celebrations risked being marred by protests as the revolutionary philosopher remains a divisive figure almost three decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Marx鈥檚 birth city of Trier led commemorations of the man officials describe as a 鈥済reat son of the city,鈥� with 600 events planned around the 19th-century scholar hailed for foretelling the ills of capitalism.

The centerpiece of the festivities included the unveiling of a 5.5-meter tall statue of the philosopher 鈥� a gift from China.

But it is also before the statue that the association representing victims of communism have called protests against the thinker they blame for inspiring Stalinist regimes.