Argentina: Workers’ Day is an official holiday and is frequently associated with labour unions, essentially all workers tend to respect it. During the day, many celebrations related to the labour movements take place, including demonstrations in major cities. It is customary to organise meetings at friends’ places, at the sports associations, at the workplace, or at the labour unions with local food. The first Workers’ Day celebration was in 1890, when Argentinian unions, controlled in those days by socialists and anarchists, organised several joint celebrations in Buenos Aires and other cities, at the same time that the international labour movement celebrated it for the first time. In 1930, it was established as an official holiday by the first president elected after the passage of the Sáenz Peña Law, the Radical Civic Union president Hipólito Yrigoyen. The day became particularly relevant during the worker-oriented government of Juan Domingo Perón (1946–55). He permitted and endorsed national recognition of the holiday during his tenure in office.
Algeria: May 1 is a public holiday and celebrated as the Labour Day.
Austria: May 1 is called Labor Day (“Tag der Arbeit”) or “Staatsfeiertag” and is an official holiday in Austria. Left parties, especially social democrats organise celebrations with marches and speeches in all major cities. In smaller towns and villages those marches are held the night before.
Albania: May 1 is celebrated as Labour Day (Dita e punëtorëve) and it is an official holiday.
Australia: While unofficial activities and commemorations associated with International Workers’ Day occur on May Day in Australia, Labour Day in the various states and territories generally falls on other days Only in the Northern Territory and Queensland is Labour Day celebrated on the first Monday in May, which is a public holiday under the name of “May Day”. Queensland holds the biggest rallies in Australia, with the rally in Brisbane averaging 30,000 people. There are also rallies held in Cairns, Rockhampton, Townsville, Barcaldine, Ipswich, Toowoomba and other regional centres.
Bolivia: May 1 is known as Labour Day and is considered a public holiday. Almost all workers tend to respect it.
Brazil: Workers’ Day is an official holiday, and unions commemorate it with day-long public events. It is also when salaries for most professional categories and the minimum wage are traditionally readjusted.
Bahrain: May 1 is known as Labour Day and is considered a public holiday.
Bangladesh: May 1 is observed as Labour Day and it is a Government holiday.
Belgium: Labour Day (Dutch: “Dag van de Arbeid”, “Feest van de Arbeid”, French: “Journée des Travailleurs”, “Fête du Travail”), is observed on May 1 and is an official holiday. In 1950, Mayor of Brussels reluctantly bans May Day parade.
Bulgaria: Labor Day is one of the official holidays in Bulgaria where it is known as Labor Day and International Workers’ Solidarity Day. The first attempt to celebrate it was in 1890 by the Bulgarian Topographical Association. Later in 1939-49, Labour Day was declared an official holiday. Since 1945 the communist authorities in the National Republic of Bulgaria began to celebrate the holiday every year. After the end of socialism in Bulgaria in 1989, Labour Day continues to be an official and public holiday, but state authorities are not committed to the organization of mass events. It is celebrated annually on May 1.
China: In the People’s Republic of China, May 1 marked the start of one of the country’s three “Golden Weeks”. Three days off work were given, and one of the surrounding weekends is for no more than three days. From 2008, only one day is given, with the other two days being rescheduled on Qingming in early April and Duanwu in early June, respectively.
Canada: Although celebrations by socialist, anarchist and anti-globalization activists occur on May 1 in Canada the government of Prime Minister John Sparrow David Thompson declared in 1894 the first Monday in September as Canada’s official Labour Day. May Day, however, remains an important day for trade-unions and community groups for protest. Celebration of the International Labour Day (or Workers’ Day, fête des travailleurs) in Montreal goes back to 1906, organised by the Mutual Aid circle. The tradition had a renaissance at the time of a mass strike of 1972. On the 1973 May Day, the first contemporary demonstration was organised by the major trade union confederations. Over 30,000 trade unionists took part in this demonstration.
Chile: President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo decreed May 1 a national holiday in 1931, in honor of the dignity of workers. The great majority of stores and public services close for the entire day, and the major trade unions of Chile, represented in the national organization Central Unitaria de Trabajadores, organize rallies during the morning hours, with festivities and cookouts in the latter part of the day, in all the major cities of Chile. During these rallies, representatives of the major left-wing political parties speak to the assemblies on the issues of the day concerning workers’ rights.
Colombia: May 1 has long been recognized as labor day or Dia del Trabajo and almost all workers respect it as a national holiday. As in many other countries, it is common to see rallies by the trade unions in the main regional capitals of the country.
Costa Rica: May 1 is recognized as a public holiday, and at the same time an important Government set of activities is done. this day the President of the Republic gives a speech to the citizens and the Legislature members about the duties that were taken through the previous year.
Croatia: May 1 is a national holiday. People celebrate all over the country by gathering and cooking or barbecuing together. In Zagreb, the capital, most people go to Maksimir Park, which is located in the east part of Zagreb. In Split, the largest city on the coast, people go to Marjan, a park-forest at the western end of Split peninsula. Many public events are organised and held all over the country where military-style bean soup is given out to all people as a symbol of a real workers’ dish.
Czech Republic: May 1 is an official and national holiday known as Labour Day (Svátek práce in Czech).
Cuba: May 1 is known as Labour Day in Cuba. People march in the streets, showing their support to the Cuban Communist government and the Cuban Revolution during the whole morning.
Dominican Republic: May 1 is a national holiday known as Labour Day which is celebrated by workers’ parades and demonstration.
Denmark: May 1 is not an official holiday, but many people, mostly in the public sector, get a half or a whole day off. The day is celebrated in the largest cities with speeches from politicians, labour market organisations, grassroots, etc.
Ecuador: It is recognised as a public holiday known as Labour Day.
Egypt: May 1 is known as Labor Day and is considered a paid holiday. The President of Egypt traditionally presides over the official May Day celebrations in Cairo; however, owing to the absence of a president pursuant to the Revolution of 2011, as well as corruption charges faced by the head of the state-controlled national trade union centre (the Egyptian Trades Unions Federation), the 2011 celebrations were organized by independent unions (united under the banner of the Egyptian Federation for Independent Trades Unions) for the first time since the Revolution of 1952.
El Salvador: It is an official holiday and it is commemorated with parades
Finland: May 1 is an official and national holiday. Apart from Workers’ Day (officially: Suomalainen työn päivä, “day of Finnish labour”), it is also celebrated as a feast of students, and spring.
France: May 1 is a public holiday. It is, in fact, the only day of the year on which employees are legally obliged to be given leave, save professions which cannot be interrupted due to their nature (such as workers in hospitals and public transport). Demonstrations and marches are a Labour Day tradition in France, where trade unions organise parades in major cities to defend workers’ rights. It is also customary to offer a lily of the valley to friends or family. This custom dates back to 1561, where Charles IX, aged 10, waiting for his accession to the throne, gave a lily of the valley to all ladies present. Today, the fiscal administration exempts individuals and workers’ organisations from any tax or administrative duties related to the sales of lilies of the valley, provided they are gathered from the wild, and not bought to be resold.
Ethiopia: May 1 is a public holiday and celebrated as the Labour Day.
Germany: In 1923, Hitler and Ernst Rohm attempt to break up socialist May Day demonstrates, inviting Nazis from as far away as Nuremberg to take part in the violence. In 1929, Police killed 19 Mayday demonstrators in Berlin, In April 1933, the recently installed Nazi government declared May 1 the “Day of National Work,” an official state holiday, and announced that all celebrations were to be organized by the government. Any separate celebrations by communists, social democrats or labour unions were banned. After World War II, May 1 remained a state holiday in both East and West Germany. In communist East Germany, workers were de facto required to participate in large state-organized parades on May Day. Today in Germany it is simply called the “Day of Labour” (“Tag der Arbeit”), and there are numerous demonstrations and celebrations by independent workers’ organizations. Today, Berlin witnesses yearly demonstrations on May Day, the largest organized by labour unions, political parties and others by the far left and Autonomen. Since 1987, May Day has also become known for riots in some districts of Berlin. After police actions against radical leftists in that year’s annual demonstrations, the Autonome scattered and sought cover at the ongoing annual street fair in Kreuzberg. Three years prior to the reunification of Germany, violent protests would only take place in the former West Berlin. The protesters began tipping over police cars, violently resisting arrest, and began building barricades after the police withdrew due to the unforeseen resistance. Cars were set on fire, shops plundered and burned to the ground. The police eventually ended the riots the following night. These violent forms of protests by the radical left later increasingly involved participants without political motivation. Annual street fairs have proven an effective way to prevent riots, and May Day in 2005 and 2006 have been among the most peaceful known to Berlin in nearly 25 years. In recent years, neo-Nazis and other groups on the far right, such as the National Democratic Party of Germany, have used the day to schedule public demonstrations, often leading to clashes with left-wing protesters, which turned especially violent in Leipzig in 1998 and 2005. May Day violence flared again in 2010. After an approved far-right demonstration was blocked by leftists, a parade by an estimated 10,000 leftists and anarchists turned violent and resulted in an active response by Berlin police.
Greece: In Greece, May 1 is a public holiday and celebrations are marked by demonstrations to which left-wing political parties, anti-authority groups and worker’s unions participate. On May 1, 2010, there were major protests all over Greece, most notably Athens and Thessaloniki, by many left, anarchist and communist supporters and some violent clashes by riot police who were sent out to contain the protesters. They opposed economic reforms, an end to job losses and wage cuts in the face of the government’s proposals of massive public spending cuts. These reforms are to fall in line with the IMF-EU-ECB loan proposals which demand that Greece liberalize its economy and cut its public spending and private sector wages, which many believe will decrease living standards.
Georgia: Because of its Soviet past, lists 1 May as a public holiday.
Guatemala: May 1 is an official public holiday known as Labour Day.
Hong Kong: May 1 is known as Labour Day and is considered a public holiday after 1997.
Haiti: My 1 is an official public holiday known as Agriculture and Labour Day.
Hungary: May 1 is celebrated as a national holiday, with open-air festivities and fairs all over the country. Many towns raise Maypoles and festivals with various themes are organised around the holiday. As with other holidays, whenever 1 May falls on a Tuesday or Thursday the holiday officially becomes a long weekend when families take off to travel and hotels are booked full. Left-wing parties continue to hold public rallies commemorating Labour Day.
Ireland: May Day celebrations in Ireland, North and South, is organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. Rallies take place in Belfast and Dublin and other events such as lectures, concerts and film screenings also take place around a wider May Day festival. Iceland: May 1, celebrated as the Labour Day (Baráttudagur verkalýðsins). is a public holiday. However many stores nowadays are open and pay higher salaries to the workers instead of on this day. A parade composed of trade unions and other groups marched through towns and cities across the country and speeches are delivered.
Italy: The first Mayday celebration in Italy took place in 1890. It started initially as an attempt to celebrate workers’ achievements in their struggle for their rights and for better social and economic conditions. It was abolished under the Fascist Regime and immediately restored after the Second World War. (During the fascist period, a “Holiday of the Italian labour” (Festa del lavoro italiano) was celebrated on April 21, the date of Natale di Roma, when ancient Rome was allegedly founded.) Now, May Day is an important celebration in Italy. Very popular is the Concerto del Primo Maggio (“1 May’s Concert”), organized by Italian Labour Unions in Rome in Piazza San Giovanni. It is attended by more than 500,000 people every year.
India: In India, Labour Day is a public holiday held on every 1 May. It is celebrated as Antarrashtriya Shramik Diwas. The holiday is tied to labour movements for communist and socialist political parties. Labour Day is known as “Kamgar Din” in Hindi, “Kamgar Divas” in Marathi and “Uzhaipalar dhinam” in Tamil. In North India, Labour Day is mostly not given its previous importance as a holiday now. The first May Day celebration in India was organised in Madras by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan on 1 May 1923. This was also the first time the red flag was used in India. The party leader Singaravelu Chettiar made arrangements to celebrate May Day in two places in 1923. One meeting was held at the beach opposite to the Madras High Court; the other meeting was held at the Triplicane beach. Now May Day is a nationwide bank and public holiday in India. The holiday is tied to labour movements for communist and socialist political parties.
Iran: May 1 is known as the International Workers’ Day. It is not a public holiday but according to article 63 of Iranian labour law on top of the official public holidays observed in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Labour Day shall be considered an official holiday for workers.
Iraq: May 1 is known as the International Workers’ Day and it is a public holiday.
Israel: May 1 is a time to celebrate justice for workers. The Avodah affiliated organizations and the Histadrut recognize this international holiday.
Indonesia: May 1 (often referred locally as Labour Day) in Indonesia was first observed as a public holiday from 2014. Every year on the day, labourers take over the streets in major cities across the country, voicing their demands for better income & a supportive policy by the ministries.
Japan: May Day is not officially designated by the Japanese government as a national holiday, but as it lies between other national holidays, it is a day off work for the vast majority of Japanese workers. Many employers give it as a day-off and otherwise, workers take it as “paid leave”. May 1 occurs during “Golden Week”, together with 29 April (“Shôwa Day”), 3 May (“Constitution Memorial Day”), 4 May (“Greenery Day”) and 5 May (“Children’s Day”). Workers generally take the day off work not so much to join street rallies or labour union gatherings, but more to go on holiday for several consecutive days (in Japanese corporate culture, taking weekdays off for personal pleasure is widely frowned upon). Some major labour unions organise rallies and demonstrations in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. In 2008, the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenrôren) held a rally in Yoyogi Park attended by 44,000 participants, while the National Trade Unions Council (Zenrôkyô), the largest Japanese trade union, held its May Day rally at Hibiya Park. Rengô on the following Saturday (3 May), allegedly to distance itself from the more radical labour unions.
Jordan: May 1 is known as Labour Day and is considered a public holiday.
Korea: It has been celebrated the whole of Joseon in Japanese-occupied Korea since 1923.
Kenya: May 1 is a public holiday and celebrated as the Labour Day. It is a big day addressed by the leaders of the workers’ umbrella union body - Central Organisation of Trade Unions COTU. The Minister for Labour (and occasionally the President) address the workers. Each year, the government approves (and increases) the minimum wage on Labour Day.
Lithuania: May 1 is an official public holiday celebrated as International Work Day (Tarptautin Darbo diena). First official celebrations appeared during Soviet occupation, but it had negative communist connotation. As Lithuania declared its independence in 1990, Work Day lost its public holiday status but regained it in 1996.
Lebanon: May 1 is known as the Workers Day and is considered a public holiday. From the 1960s through the 1990s, left-wing parties and worker’s unions organized major marches on this day. Recently, only symbolic marches take place on this day.
Libya: On May 1, 1978, former Libyan leader Colonel Mu’ammar Al-Gaddafi addressed the nation in the capital city of Tripoli calling for Administrative and also Economic Reforms across Libya: We celebrate today the first of May, the International Workers’ Day; but the real workers’ day is the one on which all workers of the world are liberated from slavery and when they become partners instead of wage workers...This should be the Workers’ International Day of Liberation throughout the world which deserves the true celebration. On September 1, marking the 9th anniversary of Gaddafi’s rise to leadership, masses responded to the calls made four months prior by revolting and holding mass strikes against many institutions and privately owned entities effectively eliminating the Private sector of the economy.
Luxembourg: May 1, called the Dag van der Aarbecht (“Day of Labour”), is a legal holiday traditionally associated with large demonstrations by trade unions in Luxembourg City and other cities. Many people seize the opportunity for an outdoor picnic with family and friends, and local and national associations organise popular events for this day, among others the Festival of Labour and Cultures, organised by the Neumünster Abbey Cultural Exchange Centre in Luxembourg City.
Mexico: May 1 is a Federal holiday known as Día del Trabajo or Labor Day. It also commemorates the Cananea Mine Strike of 1906 in the Mexican state of Sonora.
Macau: May 1 is officially known as Dia do Trabalhador in Portuguese. It is a public holiday in the SAR (Special administrative regions of China).
Morocco: May 1 is recognised as a public holiday.
Malaysia: This country began observing the holiday in 1972 following an announcement by the late Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, Ismail Abdul Rahman.
Malta: May 1 is an official public holiday celebrated as Worker’s Day.
Maldives: This country first observed the holiday in 2011, after a declaration by President Mohamed Nasheed. He noted that this move highlighted the government’s commitment as well as efforts of private parties to protect and promote workers’ rights in the Maldives.
North Korea: May 1 is known as International Worker Day.
Nepal: May Day has been celebrated in Nepal since 1963. The day became a public holiday in 2007.
Netherlands: May 1 is not an official holiday. However, several left-wing political parties and organizations celebrate International Workers’ Day yearly. Small demonstrations are sometimes held, mostly by anarchist and radical socialist groups.
Nigeria: May 1 is a recognised holiday which all workers have to observe. On that day the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress addresses workers and this has been a tradition for decades.
Peru: May 1 is an official public holiday for Labor Day (el día del Trabajo).
Paraguay: May 1 is an official public holiday known as the Labour Day.
Pakistan: International Labour Day is observed in Pakistan on May 1 to commemorate the social and economic achievements of workers. It is a public and national holiday.
Philippines: May 1 is known as Labor Day and is considered a public holiday. Labour unions and organizations hold mass protests in major cities. On May 1, 1903, the Union Obrera Democratica Filipina (Filipino Democratic Labor Union) held a massive rally in front of the Malacañang Palace demanding workers’ economic rights and the granting Philippine independence. Ten years later, the first official celebration was celebrated on May 1, 1913, when 36 labour unions convened in Manila. During the Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the holiday economics policy was followed, where holidays were moved to weekends to give workers a longer vacation. This was applied on Labor Day in 2002, which caused the holiday to be held on April 29; this was protested by labour groups, as they accused the Arroyo administration of belittling the holiday. By 2008, Labor Day was excluded in the holiday economics policy, returning the commemorations every May 1, no matter what day of the week it falls under.
Poland: since the fall of communism, May 1 is officially celebrated as May Day, which is commonly called. It is currently celebrated without a specific connotation, and as such, it is May Day. However, due to historical connotations, most of the celebrations are focused around Labour Day festivities. It is customary for labour activists to organize parades in cities and towns across Poland. The holiday is also commonly referred to as “Labour Day” (“Zwi’to Pracy”). In Poland, May Day is closely followed by May 3rd Constitution Day. These two dates combined often result in a long weekend called “Majówka”. People often travel, and “Majówka” is unofficially considered the start of barbecuing season in Poland. Between these two, on May 2, there is a patriotic holiday, the Day of Polish Flag (DzieD Flag Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej) introduced by a Parliamentary Act of February 20, 2004
Panama: May 1 is an official public holiday known as the Labour Day.
Portugal: In Portugal, the May 1 celebration was harshly repressed during the fascist dictatorship regime of António de Oliveira Salazar. Since the Carnation Revolution on 25 April 1974, the Worker’s Day is now celebrated by the several leftist political parties with parades and demonstrations. It was an opportunity for the several precarious workers' groups to show their discontent for existing working conditions, in a parade called Primeiro de Maio (1 May). Worker’s Day also represents the unionized workers that try to improve the working conditions of emigrant workers abroad.
Palestine: May 1 is known as Labour Day and is a public holiday.
Romania: May 1, known as the International Labour Day (Ziua internaionalã a muncii), the International Workers’ Day (Ziua internaionalã a oamenilor muncii), or simply 1/First of May (1/Întâi Mai), is an official public holiday. During the communist regime, like in all former Eastern Bloc countries, the day was marked by large state-organized parades in most towns and cities, to which many workers were de facto required to participate. After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, May 1 continues to be an official public holiday, but without any state-organized events or parades.
Russia: May Day was celebrated illegally in Russia until the February Revolution enabled the first legal celebration in 1917. The following year, after the Bolshevik seizure of power, the May Day celebrations were boycotted by Mensheviks, Left Socialist Revolutionaries and anarchists. It became an important official holiday of the Soviet Union, celebrated with an elaborate popular parade in the centre of the major cities. The biggest celebration was traditionally organized on the Red Square, where the General Secretary of the CPSU and other party and government leaders stood atop Lenin’s Mausoleum and waved to the crowds. Since 1992, May Day is officially called “The Day of Spring and Labour”, and remains a major holiday in present-day Russia.
Spain: The May 1 celebration was established after the end of Franco’s dictatorship in 1975. Before that, it had been celebrated during the Spanish Second Republic period (1931–1939), but it was banned afterwards by the fascist Franco regime. It was restarted in 1977 when the Communist Party of Spain was legalized. Since then, it has become an official holiday that has been traditionally used by trade unions and leftist parties for social and labour vindications. Commonly, pacific demonstrations and parades are made in most big cities.
Serbia: May 1 is a day off work and a day out of school. It is one of the major popular holidays, and the only official holiday from socialist times that is still officially celebrated. People celebrate it all over the country.
Sweden: May 1 had been celebrated by the Swedish Social Democratic Party and the left since 1890. The first May Day celebration gathered more than 50.000 people in central Stockholm. The crowd went to hear speeches by the leading figures in the Swedish labour movement such as Hjalmar Branting (later prime minister), August Palm and Hinke Berggren. During World War I the demonstrations mainly had a peace message and the Liberal Party also joined the demonstrations. The 8-hour working day and women’s suffrage were the principal themes during the troubled times after World War I.
South Korea: May 1 is known as Worker Day. Singapore: May 1 is known as Labour Day and it is a public holiday.
South Africa: May Day has been celebrated as a national public holiday on the 1 May each year since 1994.
Singapur: May 1 is known as Labour Day and is a public holiday.
Sri Lanka: May Day is observed and it is a Government and public holiday. The government hold official May Day celebrations in major towns and cities, during which party leaders greet the crowds. Workers carried banners with political slogans and many parties decorate their vehicles. The biggest celebration of May 1 usually occurs in the capital.
Syria: May 1 is known as Labour Day and is considered a public holiday.
Switzerland: The status of 1 May differs depending on the canton and sometimes on the municipality. Labour Day is known as Tag der Arbeit in German-speaking cantons, as Fête du Travail in the French-speaking cantons, and as Festa del Lavoro in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino.
·In the cantons of Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Jura, Neuchâtel, and Zürich, Labour Day is an official public holiday equal to Sundays, based on federal law.
·In the cantons of Schaffhausen, Thurgau, and Ticino, Labour Day is an official “day off” (Ruhetag). This is equal in practice to an official public holiday but is not based on federal law and cantonal regulations may differ in details.
·In the canton of Solothurn, it is an official half-day holiday (starting at 12 noon).
·In the canton of Fribourg, public servants get the afternoon off, many companies follow this practice.
·In the canton of Aargau it is not an official holiday, but most employees get the afternoon off.
·In the municipalities of Hildisrieden and Schüpfheim (both in the canton of Lucerne) as well as in Muotathal (canton of Schwyz), 1 May is an official public holiday, but as commemoration day of the local patron saint, not as Labour Day. In the other parts of the cantons of Lucerne and Schwyz, 1 May is a regular workday. \
·In all other cantons, May 1 is a regular workday.
The largest Labour Day celebrations in Switzerland are held in the city of Zürich. Each year, Zürich’s May 1 committee, together with the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions, organises a festival and May 1 rally. It is the largest rally held on a regular basis in Switzerland.
Taiwan: May 1 is known as Labour Day and it is a public holiday.
Thailand: May 1 is known as National Labour Day, and is one of 16 official public holidays in Thailand.
Tunisia: May 1 is recognised as Workers’ Day.
Turkey: May 1 is an official holiday celebrated. It was a holiday until 1981 when it was cancelled after the 1980 coup d’état. In 2010, the Turkish government restored the holiday after some casualties and demonstrations. Taksim Square is the centre of the celebrations due to the Taksim Square massacre. Workers’ Day was first celebrated in 1912 in Istanbul, in 1911 in Selânik and in 1899 in 0zmir. After the establishment of the Turkish Republic, it became an official holiday. In 1924, it was forbidden by a decree and in both 1924 and 1925, demonstrations were intervened by arm floats. In 1935, The National Assembly declared Workers’ Day to be a holiday again.
During the events leading to the 1980 Turkish coup d’etat, a massacre occurred on 1 May 1977 (Taksim Square massacre), in which unknown people (provocateurs) opened fire on the crowd. The crowd was the biggest in Turkish workers’ history with the number of people approximating 500,000. In the next two years, provocations and confusion continued and peaked before the 1980 coup d’etat. The Workers’ Day holiday was cancelled once again. Still, demonstrations continued with small crowds, and in 1996, three people were killed by police bullets, and a plain-clothes man who spied in the crowd was revealed and lynched by workers. On the same evening, a video broadcast on TV showed that two participants in the demonstration were lynched by far-right-wing nationalist groups and this lynching occurred in front of police forces who were watching the scene with happy faces. Thus, 1 May 1996 has been remembered by workers’ movements.
In 2007, the 30th anniversary of the Taksim square massacre, leftist workers’ unions wanted to commemorate the massacre in Taksim square. Since the government would not let them into the square, 580–700 people were stopped and 1 person died under police control. After these events, the government declared 1 May as “Work and Solidarity Day” but not as a holiday. In the next year, the day was declared as a holiday, but people were still not allowed to gather in Taksim Square.
The year 2008 was remembered with police violence in Istanbul. Police fired tear gas grenades among the crowds, and into hospitals and a primary school. Workers pushed forward so that in 2010, 140,000 people gathered in Taksim, and in 2011 there were more than half a million demonstrators.
After 3 years of peaceful meetings in 2013, meetings in Taksim Square were forbidden by the government. Clashes occurred between police and workers; water cannon and tear gas have been widely used.
Tanzania: May 1 is an official holiday and observed as Workers’ Day.
Uruguay: May 1 is an official holiday and observed as Workers’ Day.
Ukraine: May 1 is a public holiday, inherited from the Soviet era. Ukrainian communists and socialists celebrate the holiday with demonstrations, while other people go to picnics and spring vacations. In 2015, May Day rallies were banned in Kyiv and Kharkiv.
Late May 2015 laws that ban communist symbols came into effect in Ukraine, thus banning communist symbols, singing the Soviet national hymn or the Internationale.
According to Interior Minister Arsen Avakov during the 2016 May Day rallies in some major cities, the number of police officers far outnumbered the number of rally participants. Within Dnipropetrovsk 193 policemen protecting 25 rally participants.
United Kingdom: May Day activities (from 1978) are on the first Monday of the month. In the United Kingdom in recent years, the anti-capitalist movement has organised a number of large protests in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Doncaster. In London, these have resulted in clashes with the police. In 2000, the clashes ended with a branch of McDonald’s being smashed, and a statue of Winston Churchill being given a grass Mohawk hairstyle. The Cenotaph was also defaced with graffiti. In the last few years, demonstrations have been more peaceful, with marches and gatherings, particularly in central London. The Conservative-led coalition government in March 2011 announced plans to move the May Day bank holiday to October in order to lengthen the tourist season. A London rally on May Day is organised by the London May Day Organising Committee (LMDOC).
Vietnam: May 1 is known as International Labor Day and is a public holiday.
Venezuela: May 1 is an official holiday. El Día del Trabajador is celebrated on this day in Venezuela since 1936, but from 1938 to 1945 it was held on 24 July, by an order of Eleazar López Contreras. However, Isaías Medina Angarita changed it back to 1 May in 1945.
Zimbabwe: May 1 is recognised as Public Holiday. If the date is Sunday in that year, the following Monday will be a holiday.
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