In a worrying sign that the Cold War mentality is returning to the world, Karl Marx's memorial in Highgate Cemetery has been vandalised. Parts of the Grade I listed monument's inscription have been chipped away, as shown in the photo below.
Karl Marx's memorial has been vandalised! It looks like someone has had a go at it with a hammer. It's a Grade I-listed monument; this is no way to treat our heritage. @MarxLibrary @HeritageCrime We will repair as far as possible. pic.twitter.com/6nY2TJOjw7
— Highgate Cemetery (@HighgateCemeter) February 5, 2019
Marx might be a divisive political figure, but his memorial is a big attraction for tourists visiting London — Highgate Cemetery regularly pulls in over 80,000 visitors a year, and this is the main sight that many of them come to see.
This isn't the first time someone has tried to destroy the monument. In 1970, vandals used a crude homemade bomb in an attempt to blow up Marx's bust. It failed: the monument was battered and bruised but still standing. Some even suggest the explosion left the memorial leaning ever so slightly to the left, although this could be apocryphal.
