Karl Marx might be the most famous person to come out of Trier. There are a couple of places where he is mentioned as an historical curiosity. But it's an interesting question on how to salute someone whose economic theories, in some ways at least, didn't work particularly well.
That didn't stop the government of China from donating this statue of Karl to the city of Trier. It was unveiled in 2018, the year of Karl's 200th birthday. Historians' arguments that it wasn't appropriate to honor him in such a grand manner fell on deaf ears. The statue was supposed to be in front of his birthplace, but it was too big for that setting. So it wound up relativly close by.
The ceremony drew some protestors. Soon after that, a banner attached to the statue was set on fire, although there was no significant damage. Me, I'd rather honor Groucho Marx.
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