Workers and activists across Europe and Asia hold May Day rallies to call for greater labor rights
Workers, activists and others across Europe and Asia are marking May Day with rallies and marches to call for better working conditions and greater labor rights
SEOUL, South Korea — Workers, activists and others across Europe and Asia took to the streets on Wednesday to mark May Day with protests over rising prices and government labor policies and calls for greater labor rights.
Police in Istanbul used tear gas and fired rubber bullets to disperse thousands of people who were attempting to break through a barricade and reach the city’s main Taksim square in defiance of a government ban on celebrating Labor Day at the landmark location.
At least 30 people, mostly members of a left-wing party, were earlier detained for trying to break through the barriers at another police blockade.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has long declared Taksim off-limits for rallies and demonstrations on security grounds, but some political parties and trade unions have vowed to march to the square, which holds symbolic value for labor unions.
In 1977, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a May Day celebration at Taksim, causing a stampede and killing 34 people.
On Wednesday, police erected barricades and sealed off all routes leading to the central Istanbul square. Public transport in the area was also restricted. Only a small group of trade union representatives was permitted to enter the square to lay a wreath at a monument in memory of victims of the 1977 incident.
May Day, which falls on May 1, is observed in many countries to celebrate workers’ rights. May Day events have also given many an opportunity to air general economic grievances or political demands.
In Athens, several thousand protesters joined May Day marches, as
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