EU chief: Don't judge Karl Marx for his followers' crimes

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says German philosopher Karl Marx shouldn't be judged for the crimes that his followers committed decades after his death.

Juncker spoke today at an event commemorating the 200th anniversary of Marx's birth in the western German city of Trier.

Alluding to the crimes committed by social revolutionaries in Russia, China and elsewhere, Juncker said "Marx isn't responsible for all the atrocity his alleged heirs have to answer for."