May Day in Russia, Europe and Greece

May Day processions were held in European countries and Russia. A distinctive feature of the Russian ones is the presence of the letters “Z” and “V” as a new symbolism.

In Italy, union-led demonstrators gathered in Assisi’s St. Francis Square under the slogan “Work for Peace”. But of course, the processions took place not only there, but throughout the country. The demonstrators called for an end to the war in Ukraine.

On the eve of the parliamentary elections, 250 traditional May Day marches in France have acquired a clear political color. The trade unions urged that the state policy be oriented towards protecting the environment and solving social problems. As usual, it was not without the intervention of the police – during the demonstrations, riots and clashes broke out.

The radical youth of the Black Block, who joined the demonstration in Paris, began to smash the windows of cafes and pharmacies, real estate agencies and banks located on Voltaire Boulevard. In the alleys along the boulevard, where the police are on duty, they began defiantly setting fire to garbage cans, demolishing metal fences, getting pieces of asphalt out of the pits and throwing them, along with stones, at law enforcement officers, writes RIA News. In response, the police fired tear gas. According to some reports, about 20 thousand people took part in the demonstration in the French capital. 1,500 police officers monitored the observance of order.

Holding a mass march in the Russian capital was not approved due to epidemiological restrictions on the coronavirus. On Sunday, the first of May, the participants of the run “For a world without Nazism”, which started from Vladivostok on April 12, arrived in Moscow. The organizers of the all-Russian action were the Federation of Independent Trade Unions, writes euronews.

The rally participants laid flowers at the Eternal Flame and visited the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War on Poklonnaya Hill. The declared purpose of the action is to support the special military operation in Ukraine and the Russian military. The rally will not end in the capital, the next destinations are Volgograd and Sevastopol. There, the participants will take part in the celebrations in honor of the Victory Day.

Thousands of citizens took to the streets to celebrate Labor Day in Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras, Piraeus and other Greek cities for the first time after two years of the pandemic. Democracy, justice, peace and equality were the dominant slogans at strike rallies in ΓΣΕΕ, ΑΔΕΔΥ and ΕΚΑ as part of Labor Day events.

Demands for stable jobs for all, restoration of collective bargaining agreements and further increases in basic wages prevailed. Trade unions and associations celebrated Labor Day with strikes, work stoppages, rallies and marches demanding better working conditions and higher wages.

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