Well over a hundred
communists
and friends defied the
snow to take part in
the annual commemoration
of the passing
of Karl Marx at
his tomb on Sunday.
Marx died in his London
study at half-past
two on the afternoon
of Wednesday 14th
March 1883.
He was
buried three days later
at Highgate Cemetery
and the Marx Memorial
Library has for
many decades held
an annual graveside
oration at his burial
place in the cemetery
in North London.
Marx was buried in the same grave as his
wife in Highgate Cemetery;
it was marked with
a simple headstone in
accordance with Marx’s
wishes. In 1954 the
grave was moved to a
better position and it
was decided to commission
a more impressive
tomb. The current
monument, a bronze
head atop a granite
plinth, was designed
and made by Laurence
Bradshaw who was
commissioned by the
Communist Party of
Great Britain (CPGB). It
was unveiled by Harry
Pollitt, General Secretary
of the CPGB, in
1956.
The Marx Memorial
Library is the trustee of
the Marx monument in
the cemetery and the
event is organised by
the Library, which was
opened in 1933 with
the aim of advancing
education, knowledge
and learning in all aspects
of the science of
Marxism, the history of
socialism and the working class movement.
Library chair Alex
Gordon opened the
event to welcome
everyone on the
anniversary of Marx’s
death. He was followed
by the Cuban ambassador,
Teresita Vicente
Sotolongo, who delivered
the oration on the
life-long contribution
that Marx made to the
development of scientific
socialism.
Andy Brooks, along
with London comrades,
laid the NCP’s floral
tribute at the tomb
together with a procession
of other communist
representatives that
included diplomats from
the Chinese and Cuban
embassies, comrades
from the Communist
Party of Greece (KKE),
the Progressive Party
of Working People of
Cyprus (AKEL), and
many more from other
workers’ parties in
the Middle East and
the rest of the world
that have members
studying or working in
Britain.
Finally the {Internationale}
was sung
around the monument
bedecked with dozens
of wreathes and floral
tributes. The comrades
then departed – some
to a reception at a
nearby public house
and others to brave the
elements to get back
home.
Source: The New Worker, 23.3.2018.