TOKYO, May 1: People across Asia kicked off May Day celebrations with big marches and protests, many of which focused on US President Donald Trump’s policies and fears of global economic uncertainty.
The holiday, also known as International Workers’ Day or Labour Day, marks the struggles and achievements of workers and the labour movement. Thousands of people are expected to attend rallies and marches across the US, including in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia.
Across multiple countries, Trump’s agenda was cited as a source of concern. In the United States, organisers said their message this year focused on fighting Trump’s approach targeting immigrants, federal workers and diversity initiatives.
In Taiwan, President Lai Ching-te referenced new US tariffs under Trump as he promoted a proposed spending bill aimed at stabilizing the job market and supporting livelihoods.
In the Philippines, protest leader Mong Palatino warned that “tariff wars and policies of Trump” threatened local industries.
In Japan, some said his policies hung over the day like a shadow, with one truck in the Tokyo march featuring a doll that resembled Trump. There, participants’ demands were wide-ranging and included higher wages, gender equality, health care, reduced military spending and disaster relief for earthquake victims. They also demanded a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“For our children to be able to live with hope, the rights of workers must be recognised,” said Junko Kuramochi, a member of a mothers’ group in Tokyo.
Tadashi Ito, a union construction worker, said he worried about rising prices for imported raw materials.
“Everybody is fighting over work and so the contracts tend to go where the wages are cheapest,” he said. “We think peace comes first. And we hope Trump will eradicate conflict and inequalities.”
“Workers unite! Workers of the world! May Day!” the crowds shouted, punctuating each exclamation with “banzai!”
In Manila, thousands of Filipino workers marched near the presidential palace, where police blocked access with barricades. Protesters demanded higher wages and stronger protections for local jobs and businesses.
In Indonesia, President Prabowo Subianto greeted thousands of workers who cheered him in Jakarta’s National Monument Park.
“The government that I lead will work as hard as possible to eliminate poverty from Indonesia,” Subianto told the crowd.
About 2,00,000 Indonesian workers were expected to take part in May Day marches across Southeast Asia’s largest economy, according to Said Iqbal, president of the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions. They are demanding an end to outsourcing rules, wage raises, and protection for domestic workers and migrant workers abroad, Iqbal said.
In Turkey, May Day served as a platform not only for labour rights but for broader calls to uphold democratic values, as demonstrators planned to protest the jailing of Istanbul’s opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu.
His imprisonment in March sparked the country’s largest protests in more than a decade, and Thursday’s public holiday offered the prospect of renewed anti-government displays. Authorities blocked access to central Istanbul and shut down transit lines.
A law association said that more than 200 protesters were arrested before midday near Taksim Square, a symbolic rallying point long closed to May Day gatherings, including lawyers trying to follow the detentions.
Los Angeles is expected to host one of the world’s largest May Day events this year, and a banner there summarised the day’s theme: “One Struggle, One Fight – Workers Unite!”
“We’re bringing the fight to the billionaires and politicians who are trying to divide us with fear and lies. We know the truth — an attack on immigrant workers is an attack on all workers,” April Verrett, president of the Service Employees International Union, which represents 2 million workers, said in a statement. (AP)
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