SEATTLE — Thursday is International Workers Day, commonly known as May Day.
From worker rights rallies to marches for social justice, activists around western Washington and the globe kicked off May Day demonstrations.
In some countries, it’s a public holiday honoring labor, but activists planning marches in the United States say much of their message is about fighting back against President Donald Trump’s policies targeting immigrants, federal workers, and diversity programs.
PUGET SOUND AREA EVENTS
In Seattle, an event at noon started with a rally at Cal Anderson Park. More than a thousand people gathered at the park to rally and listen to speakers.
Around 2p.m., the group started to march, making their way through the streets of Seattle and is expected to end up downtown. Drivers in the downtown Seattle area should plan for road closures and delays as the group marches through the streets.
The Seattle Department of Transportation is posting updates on X about the latest road closures and delays.
A second event in Seattle started at 10:30 a.m. at the Chinese Information Service Center.
A protest is expected at 4 p.m. in Tacoma at Tollefson Plaza with a march to the detention center.
There are also events planned in five cities in Kitsap County, along with events in Bellingham, Covington, Everett, Federal Way, Lake Forest Park, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Mount Vernon,Olympia, Port Angeles, Redmond, Renton, and Snohomish.
In 2012, May Day in Seattle turned into a riot. Masked marchers dressed in black broke windows and doors on downtown banks and stores and tried to set a fire at a federal building. Police used flash bangs and pepper spray and arrested 18 people from a crowd that pelted them with rocks and bottles. Eight officers were injured.
The vandalism caused more than $100,000 in damage.
PHOTOS | May Day 2012 violence | 2013
There was also violence in subsequent years; however, in recent years, May Day gatherings have been mostly peaceful, and no violence is expected this year.
Many activist groups say this year’s events will be more energized because of steps taken by the Trump administration
ALSO SEE | May Day Mayhem: 3 SPD officers hurt as rioters march through Seattle
“As immigrants, many of us recognize the same signs of authoritarianism under Trump as we did back home, except this time, it’s in the country that we came to for protection,” said OneAmerica Executive Director Roxana Norouzi,
The roots of May Day stretch back over a century.
WHAT IS MAY DAY?
The roots of May Day stretch back over a century to a turbulent and pivotal time in U.S. labor history.
In the 1880s, unions pushing for better workplace conditions began advocating for an eight-hour workday with widespread demonstrations and strikes. In May 1886, a Chicago labor rally turned deadly when a bomb was thrown and police retaliated with gunfire. Several labor activists, most of them immigrants, were convicted of conspiracy to incite violence among other charges. Four were hanged.
Unions later recommended that the workers be honored every May 1. A sculpture in Chicago’s Haymarket Square commemorates them with an inscription that reads: “Dedicated to all workers of the world.”
MAY DAY RALLIES AND RIOTS
May Day marches, rallies and riots have taken place worldwide in recent years as unions push for better rights for workers, groups air economic grievances or activists call for an end to the war in Gaza.
While most demonstrations have been peaceful, there have been clashes with police.
Last year, police in Paris fired tear gas as thousands of protesters marched through the French capital, seeking better pay and working conditions. In New York City, May Day demonstrations coincided with rising tensions at college campuses over pro-Palestinian student encampments, resulting in numerous arrests.
This year, organizers in numerous cities, including New York, are calling for unity across many causes and groups.
“We’re organizing for a world where every family has housing, health care, fair wages, union protection, and safety — regardless of race, immigration status, or zip code,” the American Civil Liberty Union of New York said in a statement.
Other notable U.S. demonstrations include a workers rally at Philadelphia City Hall with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and demonstrations at the Colorado State Capitol and in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.
IMMIGRATION MARCHES
While labor and immigrant rights are historically intertwined, the focus of May Day rallies in the U.S. shifted to immigration in 2006. That’s when roughly 1 million people, including nearly half a million in Chicago alone, took to the streets to protest federal legislation that would’ve made living in the U.S. without legal permission a felony.
Crowds for May 1 demonstrations have since dwindled with advocacy groups splintering and shifting activism arenas such as voters rights.
This year in Chicago, organizers say activism starting Thursday will last until Cinco de Mayo with boycotts and walkouts. Their focus is workers’ rights but also rising anti-immigrant rhetoric from Trump’s administration.
Organizers acknowledge a chilling effect on immigrant communities since Trump has cracked down on enforcement, especially in so-called sanctuary cities including Chicago. They’re expecting lower numbers of immigrants but are expanding their outreach to more unions, including for teachers and nurses.
“There’s a lot fear out there,” said Omar Lopez, a longtime Chicago organizer.
WHO CELEBRATES MAY DAY?
In some countries, May Day is a public holiday for workers, including France, Kenya and China, where it lasts five days. In Russia, Communist-led May Day celebrations were once massive affairs.
It’s also a traditional spring celebration that’s observed in ways that don’t involve marching in the streets or civil disobedience.
In Hawaii, May 1 is called Lei Day, which isn’t an official holiday, but a statewide celebration of the Hawaiian culture and the aloha spirit through the creation and giving of lei — usually a necklace of flowers.
Elsewhere, people mark the holiday by leaving May Day baskets filled with gifts and flowers on the doorsteps of friends. The city of Annapolis, Maryland, is set to hold its 70th May Day Basket Competition, where residents and businesses outdo each other for the best floral arrangements.
“It’s our community’s way of saying goodbye to winter and welcoming the beauty and energy of spring,” Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley said.
