Marx monument in Trier – Episcopal city stabs persecuted Christians in China in the back

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) criticizes the planned inauguration of an oversized Marx monument in Trier. “If the German episcopal city decides to put this gift of the People’s Republic on display, this is to be seen as a slap in the face for the persecuted Christians in China. In the name of Karl Marx, the Chinese Communist Party (CP) is currently stepping up its measures of persecution against the Christians, who don’t feel represented by the state-controlled churches in China. New regulations will come into force today, and unofficial churches and their members will be forced into illegality,” criticized Ulrich Delius, the STP’s director and Asia expert, in Göttingen.

“In the name of the CP and its sole claim to power, other fundamental rights will be undermined as well,” the human rights advocate stated. “It would be neither be caring nor wise to ignore the catastrophic situation of China’s Christians, human rights activists, and critical lawyers – or to set up a monument for a man whose name is misused to justify human rights violations, which is what the gift from the Chinese government is actually all about.” There are plans to inaugurate a 5.50-meter-high China-made statue of Karl Marx in Trier, the city in which he was born, on May 5, 2018, on occasion of his 200th birthday.

Delius stated that he is astonished how little attention is given to the difficult situation of the Christians and other persecuted minorities in China in connection with the debate about the controversial monument in the episcopal and pilgrimage town of Trier. “It is unacceptable to disrespect basic Christian and democratic values like this, only to further local tourism and overnight stays of Chinese guests,” he criticized.

Under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, there are more and more restrictions to the rights of freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of opinion and an open Internet in the Peoples’ Republic – a systematic sinification of religion and the Internet, to ensure that the Communist Party will gain absolute control of all sectors of society. As a justification, the CP refers to the works of Marx and Xi Jinping, as well as to the well-known Mao principle according to which the party is always right.
The new regulations in the scope of the Chinese religious laws are imprecise, allowing for arbitrarily high fines – or serving as a legal basis to confiscate church property due to supposedly illegal religious activities. In addition, there are attempts to obstruct and criminalize contacts with Christians abroad. Further, there are new restrictions regarding Christian youth work, and all priests and pastors were requested to register officially to allow for comprehensive monitoring.

Header Photo: Global Panorama via Flickr