World celebrates workers' day, Maltese parties stay in campaign mode

As the world celebrates Workers Day, May Day celebrations across Asia turn violent as protesters clash with police.

While the world is celebrating Workers' Day, the PN and the PL have marked May 1 by hosting political events.
While the world is celebrating Workers' Day, the PN and the PL have marked May 1 by hosting political events.

May Day, most commonly known as International Labour Day, is traditionally a celebration of workers and the working class – but amid political campaigns, Malta’s political parties have veered off from the traditional celebrations and instead, have marked 1st May by hosting a mass meeting and a fund raising marathon.

With the European elections just 23 days away, it seems that the time for political rallies is ticking, and for Malta’s main political parties, there is no time to lose. In between the party's respective European campaigns, the Nationalist Party is organising a fund-raising campaign at its headquarters, while on the other hand, the Labour Party is addressing a political rally in Cospicua.

A year into its record electoral defeat in the 2013 general election and subsequent financial trouble, the PN is marking May Day by calling on the party faithful to submit their donations to fund the party's campaign. On the other hand, the Labour Party is celebrating Workers’ Day by outlining the government’s achievements during the past year and by calling on the electorate to submit their trust in the Labour Party in the upcoming elections.

Across Europe, celebrations have taken a more traditional tone. In Italy, Labour Day has been marked by celebrations and musical concerts, and by paying tribute to workers’ rights lobbyists. Activists in London marked the day by celebrating workers’ achievements and paying tribute to veteran political campaigner Tony Benn and rail union leader Bob Crow. 

This is in stark contrast to several Asian countries worldwide where tens of thousands have taken to the streets from Istanbul to Hong Kong to mark International Labour Day. May 1 is often seen as a flash-point date that has seen widespread clashes between workers and police.

In Turkey, protests turned violent as demonstrators determined to defy on demonstrations on Istanbul’s Taksim Square on the anniversary of clashes that prompted a nationwide protest movement. Hundreds of riot police backed up by a water cannon dispersed protesters in the Besiktas district as they tried to breach the barricades leading up to the symbolic square.

Last year, a sit-in at Istnabul’s Taksim Square sparked nation-wide protests against the government. The subsequent protests saw over 3.5 million protesters demonstrating and more than 8,000 injured, the majority of whom critically.

Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, Jakarta, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, May Day celebrations have also been marked by widespread protests.

In Cambodia, security forces armed with sticks and batons forcibly dispersed dozens of May Day protesters near Phnom Penh's Freedom Park.

Indonesian police said about 33,000 workers were set to rally across the capital Jakarta. Unions said up to two million workers would be out in force to demand better working conditions in Southeast Asia's most populous nation.

In Seoul, South Korea, protests have taken a more sombre mood as they have been overshadowed by the ferry disaster that has claimed the lives of hundreds of people, many of them schoolchildren. The workers were to march to City Hall and pay their respects to the victims of the April 16 disaster at a temporary memorial.