Trade unionists and yellow vests protested against planned social security reforms. “Dividends, not unemployment benefits, are lazy people’s income,” one of the flags said.
There were more than 300 protest meetings in France, in addition to Paris, but also in Lyon, Lille, Nantes and Toulouse. The far-left former presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon and the right-wing populist opposition leader Marine Le Pen joined the protest marches. They seized the opportunity to campaign against President Macron for next year’s election.
Indonesia and the Philippines
In Indonesia, some 50,000 employees from 3,000 companies took part in the traditional protest day, a union president told Reuters news agency. Action was taken in more than 200 cities across the country.
The criticism focused, among other things, on new labor laws. Critics fear that this will reduce severance pay and make it more attractive for companies to hire foreigners instead of Indonesians. To portray the seriousness of the situation, protesters had jokingly staged a funeral in the street.
In the Philippines, police stopped protesters in the capital Manila. Campaigners wanted to block off a square to enforce emergency support. Due to the pandemic, unemployment in the country has risen sharply. There is also a lockdown and on that basis the demonstration was banned.
Russia, Italy and Germany
The Russian authorities allowed several hundred people to attend the annual wreath laying for Labor Day. Normally, on May 1 in Moscow, thousands of members of the Communist Party demonstrate; now there were several hundred.
In Italy, too, the May 1 events were a shadow of those of the recent past. This time no big rock concerts and big marches in honor of labor. The largest meeting was in Turin, where several hundred people had gathered.
Germany is also a country where it is often restless on May 1. This year too, thousands of agents were deployed to quell any disturbances. In Berlin, the day of protest passed without major incidents during the day, but riots broke out in the evening.
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