May Day

from email, 20 April 2008: May 1st, international workers day, has traditionally been a day to challenge the capitalist system and a celebration of solidarity and workers' struggle for a more just social system. On this day we are calling on people to make the link between capitalism, economic growth, climate change and social struggle. more

from imc-uk, 14 April 2008: "Mayday 2008 is the 300th anniversary of the last free Mayday before the Grand Jury suppression of the traditional May Fayre in central London; a riotous, raucous celebration of fertility and freedom... To commemorate this significant anniversary, and the still thriving tradition of over the top state control, the Space Hijackers and the Metropolitan Police proudly present a collaborative re-enactment of the end of this traditional May Fayre..." more

from email, 7 April 2008: EuroMayday is a process by which actions and demands are put forward to fight the widespread precarization of youth and the discrimination of migrants in Europe and beyond: no borders, no workfare, no precarity! more

from ainfos, 10 April 2008: In an unprecedented show of unity London anarchists decided tonight to organise against the London mayoral elections on May 2nd by calling for the ‘return of the London mob' at the GLA building on the South Bank at 6pm when the result will be declared.

"Everyone knows the politicians are lying,corrupt, self-serving parasites - it's time we let them know - THIS IS OUR LONDON not theirs, their party's or their paymasters.

On Friday May 2nd at City Hall we will confront our class enemies at the Mayoral election results reviving a great radical London tradition - ITS TIME TO TAKE TO THE STREETS AND CLAIM BACK OUR CITY." more

from email, 13 March 2008: This year for MayDay, two worlds clash together: the global movement vs strong-armed governments; grassroots networks and squatted social centers vs EU power; Utopian Society vs Capitalist Market; the radical europe of multitudes vs the conservative Europe of élites.

We are gonna spoil the party of the powerful, by raising hell in Aachen and holding our own party: the EuroMayDay Parade, the transeuropean demonstration of all precarious and migrants against workfare, discrimination and border controls held in more than twenty cities. more

The head of the Los Angeles Police Department, William Bratton, has admitted that his officers made serious mistakes at the end of a May Day rally.

The admission came as Mr Bratton delivered a report on the immigration rally to the city's police commission. more

From email: Over the last few years, grassroots democracy has returned or sprung up in a number of different and inspiring ways; on this Mayday we march to celebrate our new resistance to our oldest problem – united in unrepentant struggle against their unrelenting war. more

May Day is International Workers Day, a day that should recognize that the working class is an international class; that the oppressed and exploited throughout the world have everything in common with each other and nothing in common with 'their' nation, 'their' government and 'their' bosses.

So migrants, refugees, those deemed 'illegal immigrants' by the State, those facing deportation, people in detention, should be at the center of what May Day is all about more

Originally posted 22:42 02 May 2005: Yesterday, Sunday 1st of May saw the first EuroMayday action happen in London. Organised by the precarity network, our aim was to bring together people in London who have precarious working and living situations.  more

This is an autonomous text written by some of those who took part in the confrontation in Dublin on the occasion of the May 1st European Summit there.  more

On the first of May, i.e. MAYDAY, for more than a century the global holiday of radical workers, We, the EUROMAYDAY network, are jointly organizing MAYDAY PARADES of temporary, part-time, contract workers and other precarious youth, along with militant unions and social collectives in twenty or more major european cities. more

May Day, or International Workers' Day - was originally the commemoration of the Chicago riots of 1886: in 1889, the first congress of the Second International, meeting in Paris for the centenial of the French Revolution called for international demonstrations on the 1890 anniversary of the Chicago riot.

These were so successful that May Day was formally recognized as an annual event at the International's second congress in 1891. The May Day Riots of 1894 and May Day Riots of 1919 occurred subsequently. more

The theme for Mayday 2001 London events was the 'monopoly' game. Using the symbolism of the monopoly game, diverse groups performed autonomous actions throughout London relating to squares on the monopoly board.

The WOMBLES part of the day's mayhem was called for Oxford Street, the main shopping street of London.  more