International Workers' Day Protests in Various Cities Across America

On International Workers' Day, May 1st, hundreds of thousands marched in dozens of countries; this year, events are also planned in the United States with thousands expected to march in cities from New York to Los Angeles. In the U.S., workers' day marchers are emphasizing the improvement of workers' rights and advocating for immigrant rights, coinciding with the presidential election and anti-foreign sentiments raised during the campaign. Organizers of the marches have expressed support for Barack Obama's policy of granting work permits to undocumented immigrants whose children were born in the U.S. According to the Associated Press, organizers have criticized Donald Trump, the leading Republican candidate, labeling his numerous statements in recent months as 'racist' and 'misogynistic.' Trump has consistently stated that he will build 'a tall wall on the southern border of the U.S. to prevent the entry of immigrants.' Since the introduction of the immigrant deportation bill during George W. Bush's second term in 2006, Workers' Day events in the U.S. have taken on a supportive tone for immigrants. However, with Trump's recent remarks in Los Angeles against foreigners and others, it is expected that this year's Workers' Day marches in this American metropolis will be more extensive. Marches are also planned in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, where 16 protesters were arrested last year. Other marches and gatherings will take place in New York, Cleveland, San Francisco, Oakland, and Miami. According to the Associated Press, Thomas Kennedy, one of the organizers of the Miami march, stated that Trump's controversies have occupied media space and silenced their voices, and it is time to rise against the threats posed to democracy, freedom, human rights, equality, and the welfare of the country and its people. Moscow's Red Square in front of the Kremlin also witnessed a large Workers' Day march on Sunday, attended by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and Mikhail Shmakov, Secretary of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions. According to the Russian news agency Itar-Tass, 'Unity, Solidarity, and Workers' Rights' were featured on Workers' Day posters in Russia. Although Workers' Day in Russia is far from the grandeur of the Soviet era, it remains one of the most significant occasions for the people of this country. On Sunday, Workers' Day ceremonies were also taking place in Far Eastern countries. According to Agence France-Presse, nearly three hundred thousand workers marched in front of the city hall in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, a country with massive industries. Protesters in Seoul opposed a bill introduced by President Park Geun-hye and her conservative Saenuri Party, stating that its enactment would allow South Korean companies to dismiss workers more freely. The protesters labeled the government's bill as 'diabolical' and called for worker unity to fight against it. The opposition of South Korean workers to President Park Geun-hye's bill comes as she is set to visit Iran for the first time on Tuesday, April 14, accompanied by a 210-member delegation of industrialists from her country. In Iran, small labor protests and gatherings were held for the second year after eight years without permits for such events. This year, due to the leap year, Workers' Day was celebrated one day earlier than its international observance, on April 30. The marches were organized not by independent labor organizations but by labor institutions affiliated with the Islamic Republic, such as the 'House of Workers' and 'Islamic Labor Unions.' Living below the poverty line for most workers in Iran and protesting the decision made in late March by the Iranian Labor Council to set the minimum wage at 812,000 tomans for the year 1395, which does not meet families' basic needs, was the main issue of labor protests in Iran. Additionally, Workers' Day in Iran was held under circumstances where many labor activists are imprisoned or have been dismissed. In this context, Workers' Day in Tehran featured protests against temporary contracts, with labor organizations calling for improvements in workers' living conditions, and welfare and job security being the primary demands of the Iranian labor community.