Labour Day, celebrated on May 1st in most parts of the world, began in Chicago in 1886 during a protest by workers seeking to establish an eight-hour working day.
That year, the American Federation of Labor chose May 1st, traditionally the day to renew office leases and work contracts, as the day to fight for the eight-hour day. More than 300,000 workers left their factories to march through the streets of Chicago in calm protest. But two days later, six strikers died in clashes between workers and police in front of the McCormick farm equipment plant.
On May 4th, a bomb exploded at a rally organised by anarchists, killing seven police officers and about 10 demonstrators. Eight anarchists held responsible for the bombing were sentenced to death: four were hanged and a fifth hanged himself in prison. The last three were granted amnesty in 1893, with the first five granted a posthumous pardon.
In 1889, members of the socialist and workers' parties attending
the Second International congress in Paris decided to organise a worldwide workers' protest every May 1st to demand the eight-hour working day and to honour those killed in Chicago.
May Day became a traditional workers' holiday in most countries, but in the United States Labour Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September since 1894.
Yesterday police mobilised across London in preparation for expected weekend protests against capitalism that authorities fear may turn violent. A rally was planned for the afternoon in the north of London against globalisation, police brutality and a law aimed at clamping down on extremist animal rights groups. Though Scotland Yard has refused to disclose exactly how many police officers were involved, the press speculated that the security operation for the weekend may be the biggest of its kind in the city for 30 years.
Authorities are particularly concerned over a planned protest of around 10,000 people today. Reclaim the Streets, an extremist ecological movement, has called on supporters to carry out "guerrilla gardening" to prevent the "destruction of the planet". Armed with pickaxes and spades, supporters plan to plant impromptu wild gardens throughout the centre of London, notably in Parliament Square, in front of the Houses of Parliament.
Scotland Yard hopes to avert scenes similar to the ones caused last June by anarchist demonstrators protesting against the "exploitation of the Third World" in the financial heartland of the City, which left 44 injured, 101 arrested and millions of pounds of damage.