Well done! Your anarchist presence was, erm, slightly more impressive than London. Although a number of groups were represented: Solidarity Federation; Anarchist Federation; Black Flag Collective; Class War. The IWW was well represented with probably the most visible presence.
May Day
Mayday in İstanbul was violent as it was last year. There were about half a million there. Ankara was quieter though the police did use a little tear gas:
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=140704
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/turkey/8829552.asp?gid=231&sz=37452
Devrim
Quote:
Well done! Your anarchist presence was, erm, slightly more impressive than London. Although a number of groups were represented: Solidarity Federation; Anarchist Federation; Black Flag Collective; Class War. The IWW was well represented with probably the most visible presence.
No way, those punks that followed us all the way round drinking speical brew were the best represented.
We must have had 30 people in total?
All this said the whole day was crap really. When we got to Trafalgar square it was nearly empty. There were small little groups of stalinists around. and even they started drifting off. maybe 500 people max stayed to watch the speaker.
Quote:
SÃO PAULO: POLICES ATTACKS ANARCHIST MANIFESTATION IN THE 1 MAY DAY!NATIONAL COORDINATION OF THE MOVEMENT OF RECONSTRUCTION OF THE WORKER BRAZILIAN CONFEDERATION DENOUNCES VIOLENCE AGAINST THE WORKERS OF F.O.S.P. / C.O.B. - A.C.A.T. / A.I.T. IN SÃO PAULO.
DENOUNCE
POLICES ATTACKS ANARCHIST MANIFESTATION IN THE 1 MAY DAY!
SÃO PAULO (SP) 16:00 in the afternoon today, now the little, around 70 policemen attacked the manifestation ferociously would free that it proceeded peacefully for the street Libero Badaró to the square San Francisco. About 70 military Policemen besides of the ROUTE, ROTAM, Tactical Forces entered with vehicles in high-speed about the anarchist manifestation of first of May in the street Libero Badaró, center of SP. You vary people were hasty and some compas were stopped without any reason, besides the already current verbal and physical aggressions.
We needed help. Publish note in the press. If they have contact with the official press (newspapers, tv, rádios,etc) denounce.
Lima
By Sindivários - FOSP-COB/ACAT-AITAssociated to the:
SINDEDUCAÇÃO - Núcleos Pró-Sindicato of the Workers of the Education-SP
http://sindeducacao-fosp-cob-ait.blogspot.com
Associated to the:
FOSP - Worker Federation of São Paulo
COB - Brazilian Worker Confederation
ACAT - Association Continental American of the Workers
IWA-AIT - International Workers Association
http://www.cob-ait.org
With the Revolutionary Syndicalism, in the fight, building the organizations free for the workers!2008: Heading for the World Congress of AIT in Brazil! The first of Americas!
“The workers emancipation will be the own workers work”
Video-Crónica: Manifestación de CNT del primero de mayo en Madrid - http://www.lahaine.org/index.php?p=29917
President of Serbia and Minister of labour tried to attend First of May demonstrations in Belgrade. They were chased away and prevented from speaking by angry workers. Yellow union officials, organizers of the demonstrations, blame us for the incident.
Quote:
SSSS: Sindikat nije russilaccki faktor
Širom sveta se danas raznim manifestacijama ili prosto izletima obeležava 1. maj kao Međunarodni praznik rada u znak sećanja na radnike u Čikagu, koji su pre 132 godine zahtevali bolje uslove rada. Predstavnici sindikata, radnici i penzioneri iz cele Srbije, danas su, na prvomajskom protestu u Beogradu, u organizaciji Saveza samostalnih sindikata Srbije (SSSS), zahtevali socijalni dijalog za unapređenje statusa zaposlenih i bolje uslove rada, dok su budućem premijeru poručili da njihove zahteve prioritetno ima u vidu. Protestu su prisustvovali i predsednik Srbije Boris Tadić, ministar rada i socijalne politike Rasim Ljajić, kao i više stranačkih predstavnika, povodom čega je predsednik SSSS Ljubisav Orbović u govoru ocenio da su oni usvojili praksu evropskih političara i da razumeju nezadovoljstvo građana. Tadić je na Trgu Nikole Pašića u centru Beograda, razgovarao sa radnicima i predstavnicima sindikata, što je izazvalo i negodovanje dela učesnika protesta, koji su mu skandirali "odlazi" i "napolje". Orbović se, u izjavi FoNetu, ogradio od ispada i naglasio da ga nisu izazvali učesnici sindikalnog protesta, već grupice, kako ih je nazvao, "komunista" i "anarhista", čime su hteli da naruše osnovni cilj protesta - dijalog. Tadić je objasnio da je došao na protest, jer su ga ranije pozvali predstavnici sindikata, posle potpisivanja kolektivnog ugovora. "Svako ima pravo da kaže šta hoće, to je Srbija, to je demokratija. Ja sam želeo da vidim ljude, da mi kažu i sve najgore, ja sam došao da ih čujem. Nikad nigde ne dolazim nepozvan", rekao je Tadić. Učesnici protesta su otišli i pred Vladu Srbije, gde su najavili nova okupljanja, ukoliko ne budu bili zadovoljni radom buduće vlade. Predsednik Saveza samostalnih sindikata Srbije Ljubisav Orbović izjavio je da učesnici današnjeg prvomajskog sindikalnog protesta traže bolje uslove za radnike, penzionere i nezaposlene, a ne žele da ruše. Jedini način je da u Srbiji prestanemo da se delimo, već zajedno ostvarimo socijalni dijalog, rekao je Orbović, ističući da su danas po prvi put na sindikalnom okupljanju prisutni šef države i predstavnici vlade. "Mala grupa nesindikalaca, ljudi koji nisu u našoj organizaciji, anarhisti, pokušali su da podgreju masu i da ne dozvole da se oni obrate. Ovde su radnici koji su nezadovoljni svojim položajem, načinom kako su prodate fabrike, niskim platama, velikom nezaposlenošću, ali mi nismo rušilački faktor", izjavio je Orbović pošto je predsednika Srbije Borisa Tadića nekolicina učesnika skupa dočekala zvižducima.
Large Serbian TV reports on the incident:
- Tadic talked with workers and union officials, which provoked part of the protest to chase him away with slogans "Go away" and "Out with him". Orbovic, the head of the yellow union distanced himself from the incident and claims that it was created by groups of "communist" and "anarchists" that wanted to disrupt the main goal of gathering - dialog.
- Orbovic said that small group of people who are not in their union organization, anarchists, tried to heat up the mass and stop President and Minister from speaking.
Pictures from the demos soon.
rata wrote:
Video-Crónica: Manifestación de CNT del primero de mayo en Madrid - http://www.lahaine.org/index.php?p=29917
Brings a tear to my glass eye. 
playinghob wrote:
Well done! Your anarchist presence was, erm, slightly more impressive than London. Although a number of groups were represented: Solidarity Federation; Anarchist Federation; Black Flag Collective; Class War. The IWW was well represented with probably the most visible presence.
I made a few comments about it on my blog:
http://anarchism.pageabode.com/blogs/anarcho
We do really have a lot to do, but at least we were the most normal looking group on the demo...
And the good news is that the new issue of Black Flag has now arrived. We should, hopefully, be bi-annual this year -- the first time for ages... Should be in Freedom bookshop next week, it should be in Housman's now. If you want copies, let me know.
rata wrote:
President of Serbia and Minister of labour tried to attend First of May demonstrations in Belgrade. They were chased away and prevented from speaking by angry workers. Yellow union officials, organizers of the demonstrations, blame us for the incident.
If it wasnt you, I hardly think its negative attention.
guydebordisdead wrote:
rata wrote:
President of Serbia and Minister of labour tried to attend First of May demonstrations in Belgrade. They were chased away and prevented from speaking by angry workers. Yellow union officials, organizers of the demonstrations, blame us for the incident.If it wasnt you, I hardly think its negative attention.
Of course not. It's best advertisement.
May Day this year was easily the most promising may day event ive ever been to, though that isn't saying a lot in itself! The wobblies in Birmingham put on an evening of entertainment and free food at a local pub, we watched An Injury to One a film about the struggle in the Butte mines during the first world war and the subesquent slaying of union organiser Frank Little as well as Charlie Chaplain's Modern Times, had a few beers and samosas and a genuinely good night. It made a change not going to an event and it being populated by the same faces, mustve been about 40 people there the majority of whom i'd never met before.
This is Edmonton's photos from yesterday, we had about 40 wobs out.
The pictures are here:
http://edmonton.iww.ca/May_Day_2008-Edmonton/
Video of chasing away of Serbian president, and reaction of the union officials asking workers not to be lead by the anarchists.
We didn't chase the president out of town or shut down shipping, but we had a pleasant afternoon with the immigrant workers community. Far smaller than the last two years, the rally was pretty tame but we felt it was important to show solidarity. The majority of Atlanta's anarchist or close to it micro-movement was there. We then trudged across downtown to the intersection where there was supposed to be an anti-war vigil we thought we'd hang out with, but no one was there. As we didn't have any war specific signs or banners we went off home or out for beers feeling like we'd at least made the effort.
Alan wrote:
That's absolutely AWESOME. Can you translate some of that?
He is saying something like - unionists, don't let us allow a group of people making fools of us, don't let anarchists distort the event, don't let them lead you, let the president and minister speak.... The workers didn't listen =;>
Other video from the demos:
It would be nice if all the anarchist May Days were somehow documented. We wrote about a few on our portal (www.cia.bzzz.net) but there's lots to go.
BTW, next May the EPP is having their Congress in Warsaw in May. If it's close enough to May Day, we're gonna have a big event.
Asheville: hipsters annoy police
http://asheville.indymedia.org/article/1691
If I saw some of those Asheville folks out in the streets, I think I'd keep working.
Small march for immigrant workers' rights in Pittsburgh. About 30-40 people, I estimate.
There was also this labor action:
Hey, with a truckers rally, http://www.wnct.com/midatlantic/nct/news/local_news.apx.-content-articles-NCT-2008-05-01-0036.html
student sit-in arrests http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/uncarrests
and folks in Asheville being playful, it looks like North Carolina had an eventful if scattered Mayday!
David in Atlanta wrote:
Asheville: hipsters annoy police
http://asheville.indymedia.org/article/1691
Oh my.....
The syndicalist/anarchist-march from Sweden in Stockholm; http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=IJpLGhvlPUo
We were about 3000 in Stockholm, in Gothenburg 1700, in Malmö 900 and some hundred more in smaller cities.
This year was the 100-year anniversary of "Amalthea" which some groups took a notion off. 1908 Anton Nilsson blowed up the ship "Amalthea" which was carrying scabs from the UK, 1 scab died and 23 was injured. This is a very important moment in the Swedish classtruggle. Even old socialdemocrats liked the banners. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Nilson
"1908-2008 - We remember Amalthea - Hundred years of classhate"
"We can take over this planet, recreate everything, so we can like it here /Anton Nilsson"
AK4 AK5 - bourgeoise-bastard say goodbye!
Good shot with the egg as well -- have the Swedes ever considered taking up cricket?
On May 1 an anarchist demonstration took place in Warsaw. A couple of hundred people came from all the different anarchist groups. The demo went to the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, to the State Labour Inspectorate, a temp agency and a pro-business lobby's headquarters.
Many topics were raised, including the amendment of the Labour Code, discrimination in the workplace, the topic of casual work, firing of unionists and capitalist brainwashing.
A happening about discrimination in the workplace was organized by anarchafeminists from A-Fe. Other groups that took part in the demo included the Anarchist Federation, Left Alternative, Workers' Initiative, Union of Syndicalists, Freedom, Equality and Solidarity and Green Collective.
A pathetic counterdemonstration was organized by fascists. The night before, a talk organized by Freedom, Equality and Solidarity was attacked by fascists who through some incendiary devices into the meeting place. Nobody was hurt.
Some pictures from May Day can be found here:
http://cia.bzzz.net/zdjecia_z_manifestacji_pierwszomajowej
http://cia.bzzz.net/zdjecie_z_1_maja