ISTANBUL -- Workers and activists around the world marked May Day with largely peaceful protests Wednesday over rising prices and calls for greater labor rights. Pro-Palestinian sentiments were also on display.
Police in Istanbul used tear gas and fired rubber bullets to disperse thousands of people who tried to break through a barricade and reach the main Taksim square in defiance of a ban on May Day demonstrations. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said at least 210 people were detained.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has long declared Taksim off-limits for demonstrations on security grounds. In 1977, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a May Day celebration there, causing a stampede and killing 34 people. On Wednesday, a small group of trade union representatives lay a wreath at a monument to victims.
May Day, which falls on May 1, is observed to celebrate workers' rights. It's also an opportunity to air economic grievances or political demands. "Tax the rich," one banner in Germany read. "Don't touch the eight-hour workday!" another read in Sri Lanka.
In Paris, police fired tear gas as thousands of protesters seeking better pay and working conditions marched through the French capital. Police said 12 officers were hospitalized after a homemade explosive was set off on the sidelines of the march and at least 45 people were detained after instances of scattered violence.
A group of protesters set makeshift Olympic rings on fire to show discontent with the Summer Games that start in less than three months. France's unions have warned of a strike during the Games if the government does not adequately compensate people forced to work during summer holidays.
Pro-Palestinian groups joined the Paris rally, chanting slogans in support for people in Gaza. There were similar scenes in other parts of the world. In Greece, pro-Palestinian protesters joined May Day rallies, waving a giant Palestinian flag as they marched past the Greek parliament. Others displayed banners in support of pro-Palestinian protesting students in the United States.
Several thousand protesters joined the Athens marches as labor strikes disrupted public transport across Greece. The largest union demands a return to collective bargaining after labor rights were scrapped during the 2010-18 financial crisis.
In the German capital, around 11,600 people marched through the immigrant neighborhoods of Kreuzberg and Neukoelln, waving Palestinian flags and holding banners that read "No weapons for Israel" or "Free Palestine," German news agency dpa reported.
Throughout Latin America, workers marched to protest austerity measures and demand higher wages. In Argentina, unions galvanized crowds to vent their rage over libertarian President Javier Milei's economic policies, which they say benefit the wealthy while inflicting pain on the poor and middle class.
In Brazil, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ratified a law that extends income tax exemptions to those earning up to two minimum wages per month, or about $544.
"In our country there will be no tax breaks to favor the richest, but to favor those who work and live off their wages," Lula told a crowd sweltering in the sun at a soccer stadium in São Paulo.
In El Salvador, activists, families and friends of Salvadorans detained under the government's war on gangs marched in the capital, San Salvador, chanting the names of those arrested and demanding "justice and freedom." Many of those detained have been lower-class workers.
In Nigeria, unions criticized government efforts to ease the cost of living and demanded bigger salary increases. Inflation is the highest in 28 years, at over 33%. In South Africa, pro-Palestinian demonstrators joined May Day events and in Kenya, President William Ruto called for an increase in the country's minimum wage.
Information for this article was contributed by staff writers of The Associated Press.
Demonstrators raise their fists as they take part in a May Day rally in Madrid, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Union members clash with Turkish anti riot police officers as they march during Labor Day celebrations in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Police in Istanbul used tear gas and fired rubber bullets to disperse thousands of people attempting to break through a barricade and reach the city's main city's main square, Taksim, in defiance of a government ban on celebrating May 1 Labor Day at the landmark location. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Taiwanese workers hold slogans reading "Congress amended the law to support workers' rights" and ''The regime has no honeymoon'' during a May Day rally in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Thousands of protesters from different labor groups protest on the street to ask for labor rights and interests. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
A man carries a poster during a protest to mark International Labor Day near the presidential palace in Manila, Philippines on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Hundreds of Filipino workers from various labor groups took to the streets to mark Labor Day and demand a wage increase and job security amid soaring food and oil prices. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe)
A woman buys a hamburger on the sidelines of an International Workers' Day march in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Workers march during a May Day rally in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Thousands of workers urged the government to raise minimum wages and improve working condition. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Protesters chant slogans outside the Greek Parliament during a May Day rally in Athens , on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Palestinian and pro-Palestinian protesters joined the rallies, one group chanting "Victory to the Intifada" as they carried a giant Palestinian flag past parliament. Others displayed banners in support of protesting students in the United States. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Supporters of a left-wing party march, to mark the Labor Day holiday in support of workers' rights, in Warsaw, Poland, on May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Members of National Trade Union Federation Pakistan take part in a May Day rally, marking International Labour Day in Karachi, Pakistan, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Participants of the rally demand implementation of labor laws and increase in their wages. (AP Photo/Ikram Suri)