A memorial at the London grave of Karl Marx has been attacked with a hammer and damaged beyond repair, a charity has said.

The marble plaque at Highgate Cemetery had been repeatedly smashed with the tool, the trust which looks after the graveyard revealed on Tuesday.

"His name has been singled out – although the person wasn't particularly co-ordinated," said Ian Dungavell, chief executive of the Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust.

"It will never be the same again, and will bear those battle scars for the future.”

He added the incident, which occurred over the weekend, had been a “deliberate and sustained attack”.

The Grade I listed plaque actually originates in the philosopher’s German homeland.

Karl Marx: social, political and economic theorist in pictures Show all 11 1 /11 Karl Marx: social, political and economic theorist in pictures Karl Marx: social, political and economic theorist in pictures German social, political and economic theorist Karl Marx. His theories of class struggle predicted that capitalism breeds inherent tensions that will lead to its self-destruction and make way for socialism. Getty Karl Marx: social, political and economic theorist in pictures The sculpture of German philosopher and revolutionary Karl Marx is revealed during its inauguration at the 200th anniversary of the birth of Karl Marx in Trier, Germany. AP Karl Marx: social, political and economic theorist in pictures Karl Marx with his eldest daughter. His writings became a fundamental basis for revolutionary movements across the globe, particularly the Russian Revolution that led to the creation of the Soviet Union. Revolutionary, armed struggles with the goal of creating socialist or communist societies had a powerful influence on the course of the 20th century in nearly every part of the world. Getty Karl Marx: social, political and economic theorist in pictures The dilapidated exterior of 41 Maitland Park Road, Hampstead, in 1958, where Karl Marx spent the last 15 years of his life. He lived and wrote mostly in exile in London. Getty Karl Marx: social, political and economic theorist in pictures Marx collaborated with fellow German thinker Friedrich Engels in London. A statue of both, The Marx-Engels monument, stands in Berlin, Germany. AFP/Getty Images Karl Marx: social, political and economic theorist in pictures The bronze statue, by Chinese artist Wu Weishan, weighs 2.3 tons and measures 4.4 meters. It was a present from the People's Republic of China. Getty Karl Marx: social, political and economic theorist in pictures The tomb of Karl Marx at Highgate Cemetery in London. Getty Karl Marx: social, political and economic theorist in pictures Karl Marx is buried in a different part of the cemetery. Both Highgate East and West Cemetery's contain the graves of a number of famous people such as Marx, William Friese-Greene, Douglas Adams and Beryl Bainbridge. Karl Marx's tomb, the Eyptian Avenue and the Columbarium are Grade One listed buildings. PA Karl Marx: social, political and economic theorist in pictures Karl Marx Monument in Chemnitz, Germany. The sculpture and base stands over 13m tall. "Workers of the world, unite!" appears behind engraved on the wall. Getty Karl Marx: social, political and economic theorist in pictures Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks on the podium at an event to mark the bicentennial of Karl Marx's birth at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi praised Karl Marx as "the greatest thinker of modern times," calling his theories a tool for China to "win the future." AP Karl Marx: social, political and economic theorist in pictures Some of the 500, one meter tall statues of Karl Marx, in front of the Porta Nigra, in Trier, Germany. The statues, created by artist Ottmar Hoerl, are part of an exhibition at the Museum Simeonstift Trier that were created to commemorate the 130th anniversary of the death of Marx in 1883. Marx, who was born in Trier, is the author of The Communist Manifesto, and his ideas on the relationship between labour, industry and capital created the ideological foundation for socialist and communist movements across the globe. Getty

It was first used on the grave of his wife Jenny von Westphalen in 1881 and was only moved to the UK when the remains of both she and Marx were reinterred at Highgate in 1954 because the original grave was felt unsuitable for a person of such historic significance.

The monument is now owned by the Marx Grave Trust, which is represented by the Marx Memorial Library in Clerkenwell, which will make any decisions about future repairs, Mr Dungavell said.

But he added that the monument's heritage listing means "you don't rush in to do these things quickly".

He said: "I'm really cross about it because it's a particularly inarticulate form of protest and it's not going to win any fans.

"On a human level, I'm upset when anyone destroys a grave. To do something so mindless is particularly upsetting."

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