KurtFF8
1st May 2010, 17:24
More than a few.
Clashes as workers across the world march on May Day (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iqfuc-JaC6u23azhuAmv1FMpqxnA)
ATHENS — Hundreds of thousands of people joined May Day marches across the world Saturday, as police and protestors clashed in debt-riven Greece and a bomb killed a World War II veteran in Russia.
In Athens several dozen youths, some armed with sticks, charged a line of anti-riot forces, prompting police to respond with tear gas as thousands of protestors swarmed the city to protest budget cuts forced by the debt crisis.
Police said about 15,000 people joined the Athens marches to vent anger at deep budget cuts which will hit public sector workers particularly hard.
"It's the biggest attack on workers for centuries. They want to return us to the nineteenth century," said one protestor, printer Ericos Finalis.
Thousands join May Day protests in Europe (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6400XL20100501)
In Greece, where the debt-stricken government has pledged budget cuts to secure a European Union and IMF rescue, protesters burned garbage cans and set a TV van on fire.
Shops were closed and ships docked while the streets of the capital were unusually empty but for various protest marches heading toward parliament, meters away from the Finance Ministry where EU and IMF officials have been meeting for days to agree a new set of austerity measures.
"No to the IMF's junta!" protesters chanted, referring to the military dictatorship which ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974.
The aid package is aimed at pulling Greece out of a severe debt crisis, which has hit the euro and shaken markets worldwide, and avoid contagion to other euro zone countries.
"Hands off our rights! IMF and EU Commission out!," the protesters shouted as they marched to parliament.
In France, an estimated 300,000 people had taken to the streets in various cities by midday as part of the traditional May Day demonstrations held by trade unions in many countries.
At the forefront of protesters' minds were President Nicolas Sarkozy's plans to reform the country's costly pension system, as well as general fears over job security due to the financial crisis.
Marchers in Paris shouted "You had to experience the crisis in 2009, are you now going to have to pay for it in 2010?"
Moscow saw a traditional May Day gathering by the Communist Party, Russia's second biggest -- as well as a rare, officially-sanctioned opposition demonstration.
While some 3,000 communists held bright red banners and large portraits of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, hundreds of opposition demonstrators compared Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to Stalin.
Greek Protesters battle police (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8655711.stm)
Thousands of protesters take to the streets in Athens
Greek riot police have used tear gas to disperse angry protesters in Athens, during a march against government cuts to tackle the country's crippling debt.
Clashes erupted at the finance ministry and a state TV truck was petrol bombed. A tense stand-off continues, with protesters hurling bottles and rocks.
Thousands of Greeks are taking part in May Day rallies called by trade unions and left-wing parties.
The EU is demanding the austerity cuts in exchange for a huge bail-out deal.
Nepal Maoist May Day rally urges cabinet to stand down (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8655767.stm)
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/47759000/jpg/_47759042_009204428-1.jpg Maoists have threatened a strike from Sunday if the cabinet does not resign
Tens of thousands of Maoists are holding a rally in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, in an effort to force the government from power.
The Maoists, who insist the May Day rally will remain peaceful, want to lead a national unity government.
Amid rising tension, the party, the largest in parliament, has threatened an indefinite strike from Sunday.
Correspondents say the peace process, which ended 10 years of conflict, may be in danger of collapsing.
Saturday's march went ahead despite last-minute talks between Maoist leaders and senior government officials.
May Day Rallies Expect Big Boost From Arizona Immigration Law (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/01/may-day-rallies-expect-bi_n_559706.html)
Million marchers expected at May Day rallies across nation to protest Arizona immigration laws (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/05/01/2010-05-01_million_marchers_expected_at_may_day_rallies_ac ross_nation_to_protest_arizona_im.html)
A national outpouring of opposition to Arizona (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Arizona)'s new immigration law was expected to draw more than a million people at May Day rallies from coast to coast.
The Saturday demonstrations include a pair in Manhattan (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Manhattan) at Foley Square and Union Square.
Attendance is expected to surge at the annual rallies because of the controversial immigration law in Arizona.
Protests were planned in more than 70 cities, with Los Angeles (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Los+Angeles) expected to host 100,000 demonstrators in the biggest rally.
In Chicago (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Chicago), a number of college students plan to "come out" as illegals.
And Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Luis+Gutierrez) will join in a civil disobedience protest outside the White House (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/The+White+House).
Palestinians hold May Day jobs protest in Gaza (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jWdPn4N8KFOLaMXqekyo0DPeo8yg)
EREZ CROSSING, Gaza Strip — More than 2,000 Palestinians held May Day demonstrations on Saturday near the Erez crossing with Israel and the Rafah border with Egypt to protest at the lockdown of Gaza.
"We call on the world to stop the siege of Gaza and to come to the defence of Palestinian workers in all Palestinian territories," said Ramzi Rabah, a protest organiser with the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
About 2,000 demonstrators waving red and Palestinian flags gathered near the Erez border crossing with Israel in northern Gaza in response to a call from the DFLP and other leftist factions.
Hundreds of other demonstrators, meanwhile, took part in a sit-in against the blockade -- which causes high unemployment in the impoverished territory -- at Rafah on the border with Egypt, witnesses said. file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Mike/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.png
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/media/ALeqM5gOyAdvLew6fP33QUSjagKKJepVgg?size=s2 (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/slideshow/ALeqM5jWdPn4N8KFOLaMXqekyo0DPeo8yg?index=0)
Istanbul square hosts first May Day demo since 70s (http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-48151520100501)
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - More than 100,000 Turkish workers thronged a central Istanbul square on Saturday for May Day celebrations, held there for the first time since the late 1970s, when unknown gunmen massacred dozens of people.
Groups from six union confederations and political parties poured into Taksim Square, singing and chanting slogans such as "long live May Day". The crowds waved red-and-white Turkish flags and party banners.
More than 20,000 police maintained tight security at the meeting, which started peacefully with many of those gathered dancing to the music of drums and pipes.
Bomb disrupts N Caucasus May Day (http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/05/20105111349544713.html)
At least one person has been killed and 21 others injured when a bomb exploded during May Day celebrations in Russia's North Causcasus region, news agencies have reported.
Marat Prokopenkov, an emergency ministry official, said the blast happened during a horse race in Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, on Saturday.
He said the explosive device was planted near the VIP section.
Local media said the bomb went off shortly before leaders of Kabardino-Balkaria, including Arsen Kanokov, the president, were supposed to arrive at the racetrack.
"[The blast] could be revenge by extremists for the destruction of the leaders of bandit groups and could be aimed at destabilising the situation in the republic during May holidays," the Itar-Tass news agency quoted Kanokov as saying.
Interfax said the victim, who died in hospital, was a 104-year-old veteran of the second world war.
'Designed to injure'
The bomb was equipped with a timer and filled with pieces of metal designed to injure as many people as possible, Marina Kyasova, a spokesman for the regional interior ministry, told the Reuters news agency.
"At least 21 people were injured but the exact number is still being defined," she said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, has ordered a federal probe into the incident.
The attack drew comparisons with the blast that killed Akhmat Kadyrov, the former president of Chechnya and the father of current president Ramzan Kadyrov, at a football stadium in 2004.
Kabardino-Balkaria has mostly avoided the large-scale violence of nearby Chechnya, Ingushetia or Dagestan, but attacks have spiked in recent months.
On Friday, four people including two police officers were injured in a bomb blast in
Nalchik.
In the neighbouring republic of Ingushetia, a man was shot dead by policemen after opening fire at a sports complex on Saturday, an interior ministry spokeswoman said.
The man opened fire after policemen began to search him at the entrance to the sports complex in the city of Nazran, where the Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, the Ingush president, and other officials were attending a national judo competition.
In 2009 alone, more than 1,000 Russian security personnel and separatist fighters died in confrontations across the North Caucasus.
Clashes as workers across the world march on May Day (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iqfuc-JaC6u23azhuAmv1FMpqxnA)
ATHENS — Hundreds of thousands of people joined May Day marches across the world Saturday, as police and protestors clashed in debt-riven Greece and a bomb killed a World War II veteran in Russia.
In Athens several dozen youths, some armed with sticks, charged a line of anti-riot forces, prompting police to respond with tear gas as thousands of protestors swarmed the city to protest budget cuts forced by the debt crisis.
Police said about 15,000 people joined the Athens marches to vent anger at deep budget cuts which will hit public sector workers particularly hard.
"It's the biggest attack on workers for centuries. They want to return us to the nineteenth century," said one protestor, printer Ericos Finalis.
Thousands join May Day protests in Europe (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6400XL20100501)
In Greece, where the debt-stricken government has pledged budget cuts to secure a European Union and IMF rescue, protesters burned garbage cans and set a TV van on fire.
Shops were closed and ships docked while the streets of the capital were unusually empty but for various protest marches heading toward parliament, meters away from the Finance Ministry where EU and IMF officials have been meeting for days to agree a new set of austerity measures.
"No to the IMF's junta!" protesters chanted, referring to the military dictatorship which ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974.
The aid package is aimed at pulling Greece out of a severe debt crisis, which has hit the euro and shaken markets worldwide, and avoid contagion to other euro zone countries.
"Hands off our rights! IMF and EU Commission out!," the protesters shouted as they marched to parliament.
In France, an estimated 300,000 people had taken to the streets in various cities by midday as part of the traditional May Day demonstrations held by trade unions in many countries.
At the forefront of protesters' minds were President Nicolas Sarkozy's plans to reform the country's costly pension system, as well as general fears over job security due to the financial crisis.
Marchers in Paris shouted "You had to experience the crisis in 2009, are you now going to have to pay for it in 2010?"
Moscow saw a traditional May Day gathering by the Communist Party, Russia's second biggest -- as well as a rare, officially-sanctioned opposition demonstration.
While some 3,000 communists held bright red banners and large portraits of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, hundreds of opposition demonstrators compared Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to Stalin.
Greek Protesters battle police (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8655711.stm)
Thousands of protesters take to the streets in Athens
Greek riot police have used tear gas to disperse angry protesters in Athens, during a march against government cuts to tackle the country's crippling debt.
Clashes erupted at the finance ministry and a state TV truck was petrol bombed. A tense stand-off continues, with protesters hurling bottles and rocks.
Thousands of Greeks are taking part in May Day rallies called by trade unions and left-wing parties.
The EU is demanding the austerity cuts in exchange for a huge bail-out deal.
Nepal Maoist May Day rally urges cabinet to stand down (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8655767.stm)
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/47759000/jpg/_47759042_009204428-1.jpg Maoists have threatened a strike from Sunday if the cabinet does not resign
Tens of thousands of Maoists are holding a rally in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, in an effort to force the government from power.
The Maoists, who insist the May Day rally will remain peaceful, want to lead a national unity government.
Amid rising tension, the party, the largest in parliament, has threatened an indefinite strike from Sunday.
Correspondents say the peace process, which ended 10 years of conflict, may be in danger of collapsing.
Saturday's march went ahead despite last-minute talks between Maoist leaders and senior government officials.
May Day Rallies Expect Big Boost From Arizona Immigration Law (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/01/may-day-rallies-expect-bi_n_559706.html)
Million marchers expected at May Day rallies across nation to protest Arizona immigration laws (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/05/01/2010-05-01_million_marchers_expected_at_may_day_rallies_ac ross_nation_to_protest_arizona_im.html)
A national outpouring of opposition to Arizona (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Arizona)'s new immigration law was expected to draw more than a million people at May Day rallies from coast to coast.
The Saturday demonstrations include a pair in Manhattan (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Manhattan) at Foley Square and Union Square.
Attendance is expected to surge at the annual rallies because of the controversial immigration law in Arizona.
Protests were planned in more than 70 cities, with Los Angeles (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Los+Angeles) expected to host 100,000 demonstrators in the biggest rally.
In Chicago (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Chicago), a number of college students plan to "come out" as illegals.
And Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Luis+Gutierrez) will join in a civil disobedience protest outside the White House (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/The+White+House).
Palestinians hold May Day jobs protest in Gaza (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jWdPn4N8KFOLaMXqekyo0DPeo8yg)
EREZ CROSSING, Gaza Strip — More than 2,000 Palestinians held May Day demonstrations on Saturday near the Erez crossing with Israel and the Rafah border with Egypt to protest at the lockdown of Gaza.
"We call on the world to stop the siege of Gaza and to come to the defence of Palestinian workers in all Palestinian territories," said Ramzi Rabah, a protest organiser with the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
About 2,000 demonstrators waving red and Palestinian flags gathered near the Erez border crossing with Israel in northern Gaza in response to a call from the DFLP and other leftist factions.
Hundreds of other demonstrators, meanwhile, took part in a sit-in against the blockade -- which causes high unemployment in the impoverished territory -- at Rafah on the border with Egypt, witnesses said. file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Mike/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.png
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/media/ALeqM5gOyAdvLew6fP33QUSjagKKJepVgg?size=s2 (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/slideshow/ALeqM5jWdPn4N8KFOLaMXqekyo0DPeo8yg?index=0)
Istanbul square hosts first May Day demo since 70s (http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-48151520100501)
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - More than 100,000 Turkish workers thronged a central Istanbul square on Saturday for May Day celebrations, held there for the first time since the late 1970s, when unknown gunmen massacred dozens of people.
Groups from six union confederations and political parties poured into Taksim Square, singing and chanting slogans such as "long live May Day". The crowds waved red-and-white Turkish flags and party banners.
More than 20,000 police maintained tight security at the meeting, which started peacefully with many of those gathered dancing to the music of drums and pipes.
Bomb disrupts N Caucasus May Day (http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/05/20105111349544713.html)
At least one person has been killed and 21 others injured when a bomb exploded during May Day celebrations in Russia's North Causcasus region, news agencies have reported.
Marat Prokopenkov, an emergency ministry official, said the blast happened during a horse race in Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, on Saturday.
He said the explosive device was planted near the VIP section.
Local media said the bomb went off shortly before leaders of Kabardino-Balkaria, including Arsen Kanokov, the president, were supposed to arrive at the racetrack.
"[The blast] could be revenge by extremists for the destruction of the leaders of bandit groups and could be aimed at destabilising the situation in the republic during May holidays," the Itar-Tass news agency quoted Kanokov as saying.
Interfax said the victim, who died in hospital, was a 104-year-old veteran of the second world war.
'Designed to injure'
The bomb was equipped with a timer and filled with pieces of metal designed to injure as many people as possible, Marina Kyasova, a spokesman for the regional interior ministry, told the Reuters news agency.
"At least 21 people were injured but the exact number is still being defined," she said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, has ordered a federal probe into the incident.
The attack drew comparisons with the blast that killed Akhmat Kadyrov, the former president of Chechnya and the father of current president Ramzan Kadyrov, at a football stadium in 2004.
Kabardino-Balkaria has mostly avoided the large-scale violence of nearby Chechnya, Ingushetia or Dagestan, but attacks have spiked in recent months.
On Friday, four people including two police officers were injured in a bomb blast in
Nalchik.
In the neighbouring republic of Ingushetia, a man was shot dead by policemen after opening fire at a sports complex on Saturday, an interior ministry spokeswoman said.
The man opened fire after policemen began to search him at the entrance to the sports complex in the city of Nazran, where the Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, the Ingush president, and other officials were attending a national judo competition.
In 2009 alone, more than 1,000 Russian security personnel and separatist fighters died in confrontations across the North Caucasus.