May Day: Rallies, violence, and hope
BERLIN (AP) - May 1, 2008 In Russia on Thursday, marchers called for economic equality,
and in Cuba residents hoped their president would offer up more
changes.
May 1 is known in Germany and elsewhere as the unofficial
International Workers' Day and is typically marked with
demonstrations and rallies that can sometimes turn violent.
In Istanbul, Turkish riot police used clubs, tear gas and water
cannon to break up crowds of workers and students trying to reach a
main square for a Labor Day rally that had been banned by the
government.
Six police officers were injured and 467 demonstrators were
detained. Thousands of police were on the street after Turkish
unions said they would defy the government and hold May Day
celebrations in Istanbul's Taksim square, which had been the scene
of violent protests decades ago.
Officials set up barricades in and around the square where May
Day celebrations have been banned since 1977, when unknown gunmen
opened fire on demonstrators, causing a stampede that left several
dozen dead.
"Long live May 1!" and "Everywhere is Taksim!" the
protesters shouted Thursday, in addition to slogans denouncing the
government.
Clashes also broke out at a rally in the capital, Ankara. Police
fired tear gas to disperse a stone- and stick-throwing crowd. At
least one person was rushed to hospital, suffering respiratory
problems.
In Germany, anti-capitalism protests in Hamburg on the eve of
May Day turned to violence and vandalism, police said Thursday.
The night before May 1, known in Germany as Walpurgisnacht, is
also an occasion for mischief. This year nearly 1,000 people
attended a rally in Hamburg where protests against capitalism and
in support of socialism quickly escalated into scattered violence
and vandalism.
As many as 10,000 people were gathering for more rallies,
including 800 registered to march in a parade for the far-right
National Democratic Party. Leftist groups from across Germany were
expected to mount a counter-demonstration.
In Manila, thousands of Philippine workers marched to demand
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's resignation for not raising the
minimum wage to help them cope with surging food and fuel prices.
Watched by riot police, two major groups of workers marched
separately across Manila, waving red flags and placards, and then
held noisy rallies at a downtown Manila square where musical bands
and singers delighted the crowd.
About 30,000 people participated in rallies around Moscow,
Russian police officials said. Members of the Kremlin-backed party
United Russia marched down a main Moscow artery, carrying banners
reading "Economic Growth Not Just For The Wealthy," "Putin and
Medvedev are the Saviors of Higher Education" And "Say No to
Higher Prices!"
Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov, meanwhile, led a procession
of red, hammer-and-sickle flags and portraits of Lenin and Stalin
over a bridge toward the Kremlin.
The holiday has lost much of its significance for most Russians
since the Soviet era, when May 1 was a major celebration of worker
solidarity and Soviet might. Most people now use the holiday to
spend a long weekend at their country homes.
In Havana, hundreds of thousands of Cubans were expected to
gather in Revolution Plaza for May Day amid hopes the government
would announce more small changes to daily life on the
communist-run island.
President Raul Castro, who has erased a string of much-despised
restrictions on daily life during his first two months in office,
is expected to attend celebrations honoring the world's workers.
Officials did not say if he would speak.
---
Associated Press writers in Moscow, Russia, Istanbul, Turkey and
Havana, Cuba, contributed to this report.
