Millions of people around the world celebrate Labor Day today. The date is being marked by demonstrations and protests that, in some cases, have led to clashes with the police.
The first demonstrations served to honor the strike of May 1, 1886, in Chicago, when thousands of North American workers took to the streets to demand better working conditions.
At the time, the daily shift could reach 5 pm and many did not have days off or vacations.
140 years later, there are still millions of underpaid and exploited workers and, this May 1st, they are once again demonstrating in hundreds of cities across the planet.
In Istanbul, Turkey, the march organized by the main unions ended in clashes when agents tried to prevent protesters from reaching the city’s main square.
Police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
In Buenos Aires, Argentina, the cries of protest were against President Javier Milei and the labor reform he wants to impose on the country.
Argentine unions say it undermines long-standing labor protections, including the right to strike.
In the Philippines, thousands gathered in the capital, Manila, to demand better wages. Filipino workers earn, on average, just over 10 euros per day.
But the demonstration was also against the war in Iran and the protesters tried to get close to the United States embassy where they burned images and figures with the faces of Donald Trump and the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Nethanyahu.
