May Day: Pole Dances and Protests
Today is May Day, which means its either time for a pagan pole dance or to celebrate the worker with International Labor Day.
While most Americans celebrate Labor Day in September with barbeques and car sales, the New York May 1 Coalition is hosting a rally for [immigrant and worker rights] at 4 p.m. at Union Square.
The coalition is calling for an end to raids and deportations targeting immigrant workers. The demonstration will also protest the war in Iraq, high gas prices, foreclosures and lay-offs.
Todays demonstrations took many forms across the globe. People [commemorated the day] with anarchist demonstrations in Sofia, dramatizations of child-labor cruelty in Indonesia; and large pro-worker demonstrations in Cuba. In both Hamburg and Istabul, the [protests turned violent](http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/05/01/europe/01mayday.php), with police using water cannons to break up the demonstrations in both cities.
Chinese premier Wen Jiabao visited workers in a factory in [Ningbo], where workers assured him their benefits packages were adequate, reported the state news agency, Xinhua.
[Photo by Tamworth Library on Flickr]