Karl Marx fans are angry that it costs $6 to visit Karl Marx's grave

To be a fan of the famous 19th-century political-philosopher-turned-21st-century-socialist-meme Karl Marx, you’ve got to have some pretty strong principles.

Those who venture to stand tall and proud as a true modern Marxist should also have six dollars to prove their mettle (perhaps with the change leftover from getting a “from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs” tattoo).

Karl Marx fanboys are up in arms about the Highgate Cemetery in London charging (about) $6 to check out Marx’s grave, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Seriously, check out this quote:

“Personally, I think it is disgusting,” the 24-year-old political activist said. “There are no depths of irony, or bad taste, to which capitalists won’t sink if they think they can make money out of it.”

And another:

That night Mr. Gliniecki found himself dipping back into Marx’s famous work, the Communist Manifesto. There, as often, he found the words that explained his anger.

There is “no other nexus between man and man than naked self-interest, than callous ‘cash payment,’ ” Mr. Gliniecki read.

One guy was even upset at the size of the memorial:

“It’s such a bourgeois monument,” said Andrew Carroll, a former cemetery worker, as he looked up at a severe-looking bust of Marx’s giant head.

“I turned around [and saw it] and I was like ‘Oh, come on.’ ”

The charity running Highgate, meanwhile, contends that the fees help maintain the grounds of the 170,000 grave cemetery. The Friends of Highgate Cemetery even say there’s no ideological contradiction by charging a small fee to see the resting place of Marx’s remains:

“They do complain, and tell me Marx would be turning in his grave,” said Ian Dungavell, from the Friends group. “But I tell them, it’s redistribution in action, because all the money we generate goes back into the cemetery.”

Hah! Got ’em.

Michael Rosen is a reporter for Fusion based out of Oakland.