The 2013 May Day protests were a series of international protests involving hundreds of thousands of people that took place worldwide on
May Day
May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. Tr ...
(1 May 2013) over the ongoing global economic crisis including austerity measures and poor working conditions.
Asia
Bangladesh
Thousands of garment factory workers protested poor working conditions following the
2013 Savar building collapse
The 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse (also referred to as the 2013 Savar building collapse or the Collapse of Rana Plaza) was a structural failure that occurred on 24 April 2013 in the Savar Upazila of Dhaka District, Bangladesh, where an e ...
.
[
]
Cambodia
Five thousand garment workers marched in Phnom Penh demanding better working conditions and wage increases.[
]
Indonesia
Over 120,000 people from Jakarta and the surrounding cities of Depok en, Starfruit City
, motto =
''Pariraca Darma''(Servant of the righteousness)
, image_map = Map of West Java highlighting Depok City.svg
, mapsize =
, map_caption ...
, Bogor
Bogor ( su, , nl, Buitenzorg) is a city in the West Java province, Indonesia. Located around south of the national capital of Jakarta, Bogor is the 6th largest city in the Jakarta metropolitan area and the 14th overall nationwide.[Tangerang
Tangerang ( Sundanese: , ) is a city in the province of Banten, Indonesia. Located on the western border of Jakarta, it is the third largest urban centre in the Greater Jakarta metropolitan area after Jakarta and Bekasi; the sixth largest city ...]
and Bekasi
Bekasi (, su, ) is a city in West Java, Indonesia, located on the eastern border of Jakarta.the city of planet Bekasi is his nickname.It serves as a commuter city within the Jakarta metropolitan area. According to the 2020 Census by Statist ...
gathered at Hotel Indonesia
The Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta is one of the oldest and best known hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia. Located in Central Jakarta, it was one of the first 5-star hotels in South-East Asia and remains a major landmark of Jakarta. Its fame is of ...
and marched to Merdeka Palace
The Merdeka Palace (; also known in Indonesian as ''Istana Gambir'' and during the Dutch colonial times as ''Paleis te Koningsplein''), is one of six presidential palaces in Indonesia. It is located on the north side of the Merdeka Square in Cen ...
, disrupting business activity in Jakarta.
Philippines
Eight thousand people marched at Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...
.
Singapore
Six thousand rallied at Hong Lim Park
Hong Lim Park, formerly known as Hong Lim Green and Dunman's Green, is a heritage park in the Downtown Core district of Singapore located next to the Parkroyal Collection Pickering hotel and Clarke Quay station.
The park is notable locally a ...
to protest immigration policy and high living costs.
Turkey
Police clashed with protesters in Istanbul trying to reach Taksim Square
Taksim Square ( tr, Taksim Meydanı, ), situated in Beyoğlu in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey, is a major tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shops, and hotels. It is considered the heart of modern Istanbul, with the c ...
. Twenty people were arrested.[
]
Europe
UK
Comparatively muted protest in central London compared to the violence of previous years. It received very little mainstream news coverage.
Greece
Protesters marched in Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh List ...
and Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
. The communist party-affiliated PAME organised a large strike demonstration in Syntagma Square, while GSEE
The General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE), in Greek Γ.Σ.Ε.Ε, is the highest, tertiary trade union body in Greece. It was founded in 1918 and is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation.
GSEE is made up of 83 ...
union and the public sector union ADEDY
The Confederation of Greek Civil Servants' Trade Unions ( el, Ανώτατη Διοίκηση Ενώσεων Δημοσίων Υπαλλήλων, (Α.Δ.Ε.Δ.Υ), translit=Anótati Dioíkisi Enóseon Dimosíon Ypallílon, ADEDY), was establishe ...
had their rally at Kafthmonos Square. The Athens May Day demonstration was saluted by Bangladeshi workers' representative as well as by Gilda Chacov Bravo, Cuban member of the Secretariat of the World Federation of Trade Unions
The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) is an international federation of trade union, trade unions established in 1945. Founded in the immediate aftermath of World War Two, the organization built on the pre-war legacy of the International ...
(WFTU).
Spain
Protesters marched in Madrid and Barcelona. In Barcelona, protesters clashed with police, while activists smashed dozens of bank and shop windows and destroyed bus stops, telephone boxes and trash bins.
Ireland
North America
United States
Protests were held in Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
, Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
, Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
and Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
.
* Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
: A violent protest led to the arrest of 17 people.
* Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
: A protest left from NBC media headquarters with about 200 people. An anarchist Black Bloc took to the streets in Chicago's Michigan Avenue shopping district, starting confrontations with police and one protester was arrested. A small skirmish broke out in front of a Louis Vuitton store between an owner and protester before meeting up with a larger Immigrant Rights and Union march of over 3,000 people.
See also
* List of protests in the 21st century
This is a list of protests in the 21st century.
Revolutions and uprisings Plants (Colour) revolutions
* Rose Revolution (Georgia, 2003)
* Tulip Revolution (Kyrgyzstan, 2005)
* Cedar Revolution (Lebanon, 2005)
* Orange Revolution (Ukrain ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:May Day protests, 2013
May Day protests
2013 protests
Articles containing video clips