Workers, activists mark May Day with defiant rallies all over the world
MOSCOW — Workers and activists marked May Day on Tuesday with rallies to demand their government address labor issues.
International Workers’ Day is a public holiday in many countries, though activities are restricted in some places, sometimes leading to confrontations.
A look at some of the events around the world:
FRANCE
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has joined political figures condemning violence during May Day protests in the French capital that she blamed on “hundreds of masked individuals.”
A car, a motorbike and a construction digger were among vehicles set on fire by vandals on Tuesday as dramatic plumes of smoke swirled into the air.
Others smashed up a Mcdonald’s restaurant, which was left blackened with smoke inside. A Renault dealership and another car shop were also smashed up and vandalized.
Police say about 20,000 demonstrators took part in often angry demonstrations that authorities tried to disperse with tear gas.
Police say one demonstrator was lightly wounded.
Hundreds of demonstrators marched across the French capital as part of nationwide protests to oppose economic policies pursued by President Emmanuel Macron who plans to end some worker protections.
GREECE
Thousands of Greeks are marching through central Athens in at least three separate May Day demonstrations.
Museums were also shut while ferries remain were tied up in port and public transport operated on a reduced schedule in strikes marking labor day.
Police said at least 7,000 people were at the first demonstration in Athens, which was organized by a communist party-led union. The protesters marched by parliament and headed up a major avenue to the United States Embassy.
Another four demonstrations were planned in Greece’s second largest city of Thessaloniki in the north.
Trains, the suburban railway, urban trolleys and ferries to and from the islands suspended operations for the day, while buses and the Athens metro system were operating on reduced schedules.
MACEDONIA
Hundreds of trade union members gathered outside the Macedonian government building in the capital on May Day to protest poor labor conditions and to call for the protection of workers’ rights.
The National Federation of Trade Unions led Tuesday’s protest march from downtown Skopje to the government building, seeking legal changes that would protect workers and improve collective wage agreements in both the private and public sectors.
The Independent Union of Journalists and Media Workers joined the protest, demanding decent working conditions and better salaries.
“We have received many promises, but the situation has not improved at all,” union head Tamara Chausidis said.
Macedonia’s Confederation of Trade Union Organizations protested the large fines debt collectors impose, leaving citizens with blocked bank accounts.