May 1 is celebrated as International Labor Day. Workers and other groups of people in many countries celebrate May Day by workers by taking down the streets, holding up banners of demand. This year is the second May Day under the covid-19 pandemic. The following is the highlight of the May Day celebration around the world collected from different sources.
Photo: LIPS - Indonesia In some European countries, people took down the street on May 1. All over France, more than 100,000 people marched demanded social and economic justice. They also voiced their opposition to the government’s plan to change unemployment benefits. The clash between the mass and the police injured three police officers. The police made 47 arrests.
In German, some 20,000 people marched. They mostly opposed the government’s coronavirus strategy. Some groups are migrant supporters and anti-racist groups.
Thousands of people marched in 70 cities across Spain. Madrid had the biggest mass. The demonstration called for the government for pensions and the protection of wages. The country faced 17% job loss since the beginning of the pandemic.
In Istanbul, 212 people were arrested after trying to hold a May Day rally in the city. They attempted to walk to Taksim Square where rallies and demonstrations usually happened. The government banned gathering to halt the coronavirus spread. Turkey has had a strict lockdown in place since April 29 due to a deadly third wave of COVID-19.
In Manila, police prevented hundreds of people from marching and demonstrating at the public plaza as the country is imposing a lockdown. The protestors had a brief gathering, nevertheless, at Manila boulevard. They demanded pandemic leave, pandemic cash aid, wage subsidies, and covid-19 vaccines.
More than 200 cities in Indonesia held May Day demonstrations. Some thousands of people rallied in Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, and Medan. Police arrested more than 20 people in Jakarta under the charge of violating health protocol and no gathering rule. In Medan, police also arrested 14 protesters without any reason.
