Accounts from May Day 2006

From Infoshop OpenWiki

Jump to: navigation, search

A page to provide accounts from May Day actions around the world.

Contents

[edit] Helpful Sites

[edit] Media Projects

  • We would like to have your local May 1st reports, video and images, please send to: info@immigrantSolidarity.org and siuhin@aol.com
  • www.mediarights.org/may1 - this open documentary project presents

videos from around the United States of recent immigrants' rights rallies. MediaRights invites anyone to submit video of their local event, using open internet TV to broadcast and watch socially-relevant community media."

[edit] AFRICA

[edit] Zimbabwe

  • Rallies were held in 20 towns and cities throughout the country.

At least seven people were arrested as they marked May Day in Chitungwiza.

  • 5,000 workers rallied for better conditions and pay in Harare[1]

[edit] AMERICAS

[edit] Canada

[edit] Ottawa, Ontario

  • The Panhandler's (beggers) Branch of the Industrial Workers of the World took to the streets of Ottawa to protest beatings of the members of the street community by security at the Rideau Centre, a large downtown mall, as well as continued and often unlawful harassment by the police. The group filed a mass complaint about police behaviour, the results of which are to be seen. Press release about the day
  • Anarchists Blockade Police Station on May Day Afternoon

[edit] Chile

[edit] Santiago

[edit] El Salvador

  • At least 50,000 Salvadorans took to the streets of San Salvador on Monday, May 1st, to celebrate International Workers’ Day, denounce CAFTA and support the immigrant rights struggle in the United States. [2]

[edit] Mexico

[edit] Oaxaca

  • In Oaxaca City, Oaxaca,several Other Campaign demonstrators, including several anarchists, were subject to repression and arbitrary arrests. For the “Other May 1st,” and in support of the immigrants' struggle in the United States and the boycott on U.S. products, the Red Oaxaqueña Zapatista held a march/demonstration that was attended by adherents to the Other Campaign

and people in solidarity with the immigrants' struggle. In response, the state government of Oaxaca unleashed a police operation of permanent harassment against the demonstration on the part of agents in civilian clothing.

[edit] Mexico City

  • Tens of thousands of people filled the streets of downtown Mexico City this mayday. Dozens of unions marched through the city, including members of the Pascual workers co-operative (comprising thousands of workers), the electrical utilities workers (SME), the union of subway workers, members of the Authentic Labor Front (FAT), and activists with the Independent Francisco Villa Popular movement, along with large contingents from the telephone workers', teachers' and healthcare workers' unions. [3]

[edit] United States

[edit] Athens, GA

  • In Athens, Georgia, we had a festive mayday parade with drums and dancing through downtown. The mayday parade joined up with the Immigrants rights march, which looked like at least 1300 to 1500 people [which is huge for our tiny town]. It was amazing! Little children were marching with their families and yelling "Si se puede!" and "Latinos unidos jamas será vencidos!" It was amazing!- from a comment posted to the Infoshop News May Day article

[edit] Alamosa, CO

  • 150 gathered in Alamosa. [4]

[edit] Albuquerque, NM

[edit] Aurora, IL

[edit] Avon, CO

  • Hundreds of people stayed home from work Monday to march in Avon, though some participants said they knew others who were afraid to participate. [5]

[edit] Bakersfield, CA

  • 15,000+ march
  • cops prevented marchers from leaving the park, arrested peaceful protesters (?)
  • 4,000 students skipped school
  • closed businesses
  • Audio report on police repression

[edit] Boise, ID

  • With chants in Spanish of "Yes, We Can!", a group of about 75 Boise State students and their allies marched to the Boise offices of Idaho's congressional delegation, urging comprehensive reform of America's immigration system Monday. [6]

[edit] Boston

  • 7am- Midnight- 95% of the businesses in Hyde/ Jackson Main Street of Jamaica Plain were shut down in support of the boycott, around 50% in Egelston Square extending down Washington street in Jamaica Plain were shut down. Probably 90 % of businesses in sections of East Boston and Chelsea were also shut down as part of the boycott.
  • 11:30 am - Boston College, Chestnut Hill. Rally at O'Neill Plaza and march at 1:30pm
  • 12:00 Noon, The State House, Room 222, "Imagine A Day Without Immigrants," MIRA will coordinate a press-conference with local labor and business leaders to highlight the fact that the Massachusetts economy depends on immigrants, ((Shuya Ohno (617) 350 - 5480 ext 204)
  • 12:00pm at Centro Presente, Centro Presente in their Familias Unidas (Keep our Families Together) campaign, Centro Presente opened their headquarters at noon, prepared for asking the City of Cambridge to renew its commitment as a sanctuary city for all immigrants.
  • 1:00 PM, SEIU Local 615 March in support of immigrant workers, moving pickett line around Post Office Square then marched to 3:00 PM press conference at State House
  • 3:00- 4:00pm, Central Square of East Boston to Chealsea City Hall, Large 5000+ immigrant march organized by varioius grassroots immigrant groups and other community groups. Immigrants’ rally in started at 3:00 in Central Square, East Boston. At 4:00, marched to Chelsea City Hall
  • 3:30pm- March from Harvard Square at 1pm to Boston Common. March down Mass Ave, and to the Boston Commons, where the May Day Coalition organized a rally.
  • 4:00 pm- Boston Common- A rally occured organized by the Boston May Day Coalition (http://bostonmayday.org/)
  • Somerville- 4:00 - 6:00 pm. Rally/ vigil In front of Foss Park Sponsored by the Somerville Immigrants in Action Committee:CORESm SCC, CAAS, The Welcome Project, and concerned community members from the City of Somerville
  • 6:30 - 8:00pm, Jamaiaca Plain, Vigil and Reflection: Unidos por Una Reforma Immigratoria Justa United All are invited.
  • In addition, the Workers Rights Board at Mass Jobs with Justice has set up a May Day Workers’ Rights Hotline at (617) 524-8110 if you have any questions. Please call this line if you face retaliation in your workplace for participating in May Day activities.
  • [For more information http://boston.indymedia.org/feature/display/64591/index.php]

[edit] Boulder, CO

[edit] Buffalo, NY

[edit] Carbondale, CO

  • 1,200 people rallied in Carbondale. [7]

[edit] Carrboro and Chapel Hill, NC

  • On Monday (mayday) there were two large marches, and a huge celebration feast with music, dancing, and a movie in carrboro town commons. [8]

[edit] Charlotte, NC

  • Some 10,000 Latinos and their supporters crowded into uptown Charlotte’s Marshall Park for a rally as part of the May 1 national day for immigrant rights. Many businesses along the very busy South Blvd & Central Ave areas were closed in observance of the boycott. Students were a major part of the rally.
  • An organized walk-out of Charlotte schools was canceled but over 800 Latino students were absent from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system.
  • May Day in Charlotte

[edit] Chicago

[edit] Colorado Springs, CO

  • At least 3,000 people arrived at the event by 1 p.m.[9]

[edit] Concord, CA

  • Over 5000 marched to Santos Plaza.
  • Photos

[edit] D.C.

  • On May Day in DC area, there was one rally at Malcolm X Park with several thousand people coming at different times of the day.
  • There was another rally of @5,000 called by Spanish radio, at the Capitol. And N. Virginians said there were people lined up at major intersections with banners, in N. VA [10]

[edit] Denver, CO

  • Denver, saw the largest demonstration in Colorado’s history, with crowds swelling to over 75,000 in part by anger over the introduction of new anti-immigrant legislation that would deny all basic state services to the undocumented. [11]

[edit] Durango, CO

  • In Durango, a small rally at a downtown park had drawn about 100 people as of 6 p.m. [12]
  • People in Durango had a community potluck and discussed immigration issues. [13]

[edit] Eureka, CA

[edit] Forks, Washington

[edit] Fresno, CA

  • At least 15,000 people rallied for immigrant rights today at Fresno City Hall, making this the largest political rally in Fresno County history. Earlier in the day, 3-400 students rallied at CSUF.
  • Photos
  • More Photos

[edit] Grand Junction, CO

  • In Grand Junction, police and organizers estimated the size of the crowd to be about 3,500 people. In a march that stretched for more than a mile on North Avenue between Sherwood Park and Lincoln Park, the protesters -- most dressed in white shirts and many carrying a small American flags[In Grand Junction, police and organizers estimated the size of the crowd to be about 3,500 people. In a march that stretched for more than a mile on North Avenue between Sherwood Park and Lincoln Park, the protesters -- most dressed in white shirts and many carrying a small American flags [14]

[edit] Greeley, CO

  • Hundreds of people marched for several blocks in Greeley, including mothers pushing strollers, fathers with toddlers on their shoulders and teens pumping their fists into the air. [15]

[edit] Houston

[edit] Humboldt, CA

  • Immigrant Rights March from Arcata to Eureka on 101 in Humboldt "attacked" by cops.
  • Report on March

[edit] Ithaca, NY

  • A rally drew almost 400 people. [16]

[edit] Lafayette, CO

  • Nearly 200 people gathered at LaMont Does Park in Lafayette in support of “A Day Without Immigrants” on Monday. [17]

[edit] Laramie, WY

  • Over 200 students walked out of class to join community members in a march through the streets of Laramie. The day ended with a rally and teach-in on the University of Wyoming campus.

[edit] Las Vegas, NV

  • Despite casino unions urging workers not to strike, about 3,000 walked off the job during the day. The later evening demonstrations grew to 7,000-8,000 [18]

[edit] Los Angeles

[edit] Loveland, CO

  • Loveland wasn’t immune to employee walkouts Monday — with many construction workers taking the day off. About 100 construction workers — 25 percent of the work force — did not work at the Medical Center of the Rockies job site, Poudre Valley Health System spokesman Gary Kimsey said. [19]

[edit] Madison, WI

[edit] Medford, OR

  • Immigration Rights supporters took to the streets on Monday, May 1st. Several reports say the numbers were over 500 for this the third large immigration rights rally to be held recently in Medford. [20]

[edit] Milwaukee

[edit] Minneapolis

  • About 3,000 people attended the rally at Powderhorn Park. Several businesses closed and many students took the day off of school. [21] [22]

[edit] Modesto, CA

  • Close to 10,000 people, most of them working class Latinos/Chicanos, came out to protest the proposed HR 4437 legislation. Marchers hold streets illegally for hours, with no arrests. March to city hall, and back to rally point, marching several miles.
  • Anarchist report on events
  • Photos

==

[edit] =New Haven, CT===

<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/PrintmakersUnite/IMGP0900.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a> <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/PrintmakersUnite/IMGP0895.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a> <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/PrintmakersUnite/MayDay.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

[edit] New London, CT

[edit] New York City

[edit] Oakland

  • Participants estimate 15,000 or more marched miles to the the federal building in downtown where speakers such as Congresswoman Barbara Lee had words of support.
  • Protestors March through East Oakland

[edit] Ogden, UT

  • About 1,000 people rallied in front of the Federal Building carrying signs [23]
  • Almost 30 percent of 5,409 Latino students were reported absent

[edit] Olympia

[edit] Orlando, FL

[edit] Philadelphia

[edit] Phoenix

[edit] Pittsburgh, PA

  • On May 1st, Pittsburgh Friends of Immigrants held a vigil and march to support rights for immigrants, easier and fairer path to legal immigration, and amnesty for all undocumented workers already in the United States. A bike bloc also toured the streets of Pittsburgh in solidarity with immigrants rights protests. [24]
  • May Day in Pittsburgh

[edit] Portland, OR

  • Approximately 10,000 Hispanic workers, students, families and others marched through downtown Portland demanding greater immigrant rights.
  • Indymedia accounts from May Day

[edit] Pueblo, CO

  • 500 people rallied that day. [25]
  • Mission Food closed for the day, as well as some Mexican restaurants and a concrete company. [26]

[edit] Sacramento, CA

[edit] Salem, OR

  • More than 8,000 people marched around the capitol in Salem. [27]

[edit] Salinas, CA

  • 15,000+ march
  • many East Salinas businesses closed
  • largest marches in decades say cops, havn't seen anything like this since Cesar Chavez marches in the 1970's

[edit] Salt Lake City, UT

  • 7,500 to 10,000 march in SLC
  • Most Latino-owned shops and restaurants never opened in support of the "Brown Out."
  • Many Latino students missed class, and one school postponed a state-mandated test due to absences.
  • Latinos in Utah boycott work, school, stores

[edit] San Diego

[edit] San Francisco

  • An estimated 100,000 immigrants rights supporters marched down Market Street in the largest Latino mobilization in city history.
  • Indymedia Coverage

[edit] San Jose, CA

  • In the South Bay, another estimated 100,000 immigrants rights supporters marched through the city, likely making it the largest demonstration ever in San Jose history. Many businesses closed for the day.
  • 100,000 March in San Jose
  • Audio coverage
  • See the Indybay May Day coverage for photos and video coverage.

[edit] San Rafael, CA

  • About 5-7000 people marched in in the biggest march ever held in San Rafael.
  • Video coverage

[edit] San Ysidro, California

[edit] Santa Ana, CA

[edit] Santa Barbara, CA

  • Rally begins with 5,000 chanting, "We're not just one. We're not thousands. We're millions!"

[edit] Santa Cruz, CA

[edit] Santa Rosa, CA

  • Today's march for immigrant rights in Santa Rosa reached historic size.

[edit] Seaside, CA

  • 2,000 march

[edit] Seattle

[edit] Tennessee

[edit] Tucson, Arizona

[edit] Urbana-Champaign, IL

  • Crowds gathered at Congressman Tim Johnson's office in Champaign to show their concern and outrage for his recent remarks and voting record on HR-4437.
  • Indymedia Coverage
  • [Photos from the May Day rally]

[edit] Vail, CO

  • About 70 percent of the work force stayed off the job Monday at the Gallegos Corp., a Vail-based masonry company that is considered a community leader in supporting immigrant workers. [28]

[edit] Watsonville, CA

  • A May Day demonstration in Watsonville CA, the self-proclaimed strawberry capital of the world, drew about 10,000 people in a city of 45,000 out into the streets.
  • Pajaro Valley High School shut down to prevent student walkouts
  • Half of PVUSD students didn’t go to school
  • 'Closed signs were visible at nearly every business in downtown Watsonville."
  • Audio Report
  • Photos from the march

[edit] Wendover, UT

  • More than 500 Latinos marched along the small town's main street [29]
  • The largest hotel-casinos were unable to open their restaurants because most of their Latinos employees chose not to work. [30]

[edit] Worcester, MA

  • Close to 2,500 people turned out on Monday in support of Worcester's Immigration Reform Rally. Organizers were pleased by the turnout, and surprised and energized by how rooted the national boycott became in Worcester. [31]

[edit] ASIA

[edit] Bagladesh

  • Thousands of garment factory workers rallied in Bangladesh to demand the United States and Europe drop tariffs on their products, saying they could bring the industry down.[32]

[edit] Cambodia

  • In Cambodia, thousands of police brought the capital of Phnom Penh to a virtual standstill during a clampdown on an unauthorized May Day demonstration. Cambodia still lacks real democracy. There is no real respect for human rights, opposition leader Sam Rainsy said. [33]

[edit] Indonesia

  • About 100,000 Indonesian workers took to the streets to protest a labour law that would slash severance packages and new contracts that could threaten worker security. [34]

[edit] Jakarta

[edit] Japan

[edit] Osaka

  • Homeless comrades and homeless liberation activists in osaka joined the gathering of the Zen-rou-kyou.(the zenroukyou is the 3rd big trade union in japanese islands. Some leftist radikals joined) about 500 people participated in this gathering & demo. [35]

[edit] Tokyo

  • In April 30, 2006, "May Day For Freedom and Existence 2006" rally held at Jinguumae Onden Kumin Kaikaikan at Harajuku, Tokyo with about one hundred participants. As precariat, participants appealed the current situation of socially discriminated, sorted, and excluded people. However as though stomped on those appeals, three people were arrested unjustly and a truck with sound system was robbed by police during demonstration after the rally. [36]

[edit] Phillippines

  • In the Philippines, government troops and police with batons and shields turned away hundreds who tried to approach the presidential palace to demand a wage increase and the ouster of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. [37]

[edit] EUROPE

[edit] Belarus

[edit] Minsk

  • 2,000 opposition supporters marched in Minsk in a show of defiance, days after the authoritarian government of President Alexander Lukashenko tried to stop an unprecedented series of demonstrations by throwing protest leaders in jail.[38]

[edit] Bosnia

[edit] Sarajevo

  • In Bosnia, where the holiday is normally marked by picnics and celebration, the unemployed used the day to march down Sarajevo's main street, demanding new elections and the resignation of the government, which they say is not doing enough to lower the jobless rate and bring Bosnia closer to the European Union. [39]

[edit] England

[edit] Cambridge

[edit] London

6 7 8

[edit] Manchester

[edit] Mersey

[edit] Finland

[edit] Helsinki

[edit] Germany

  • In Germany, labour unions protested over the impact of globalisation on Europe's largest economy, accusing firms of sacrificing jobs for quick profit and urging the government to introduce a minimum wage.
  • German May Day indymedia photos

[edit] Berlin

  • 5,000 marched [40]

[edit] Hamburg

  • 2,000 marched [41]

[edit] Greece

[edit] Athens

  • In the capital Athens organizers estimated that around 10,000 people took to the streets. They marched to the US embassy and shouted anti-American slogans. [42]

[edit] Thessaloniki

  • In the port city of Thessaloniki around 3,000 people took part in a May Day demonstration, state television reported. [43]

[edit] Scotland

[edit] Edinburgh

[edit] Glasgow

[edit] Sweden

[edit] Stockholm

  • 130 youth were arrested in a central shopping street in the capital, hurling cafe chairs into shop windows and clashing with the police. The protest was organized by the Reclaim the City group.

[edit] Switzerland

[edit] Zurich

  • 4,000 people rallied in the country's financial capital.
  • Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at rock-throwing demonstrators. Protesters damaged several buildings, including at least one branch of a Swiss bank and a clothing store. Police arrested about 50 people, and there were several injuries reported. [44]

[edit] MIDDLE EAST

[edit] Bahrain

[edit] Iran

[edit] Tehran

  • Around two hundred demonstrators defied some 2,000 members of the security forces in the rally in Tehran. The rally was organized by the bus workers union and was met with retaliation from the Iranian security forces. At least 17 demonstrators, including eight union activists and five students, have been arrested. [45]


[edit] Tel Aviv

[edit] Turkey

[edit] Istanbul

  • In Istanbul, Turkey, police fired tear gas and pepper spray at demonstrators shouting slogans against the United States and the International Monetary Fund, and detained 40. [46]
  • Anarchists joined some 30,000 marchers distributing literature and engaging in dialog. [47]


[edit] Elazig

  • 30 people were arrested in eastern Turkey following a skirmish with police that left four people injured in the town of Elazig. [48]

[edit] OCEANIA

[edit] Australia

[edit] Melbourne

Retrieved from "http://www.infoshop.org/wiki/Accounts_from_May_Day_2006"
Personal tools