Protesters clashed with police after tens of thousands marched through the streets of Paris to commemorate May Day.

According to AFP, at least 34 people had been arrested by 7 p.m. Saturday after police fired tear gas and crowd control grenades against demonstrators.

As police attempted to manage so-called ‘black bloc’ demonstrators, a bank window on Boulevard Voltaire was damaged and a bus shelter was vandalised. According to AFP, at least one police officer was injured.

May 1 is observed as International Workers’ Day, Labour Day, or simply May Day in many countries, and is a public holiday in some, including France.

Also read: International Labour Day 2022: History and significance

Pro-migrant and anti-racism protesters marched through the streets of Berlin and other German cities in Germany, while marchers in Italy disregarded coronavirus restrictions in numerous locations.

In Spain, protestors flocked to the streets in Madrid and Barcelona to demand government pensions and wage protection in a country where 17 percent of jobs have been destroyed since the pandemic began.

Meanwhile, demonstrators took to the streets in London to oppose the new police powers legislation, which is being pushed by Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party and will limit the right to demonstrate in the UK.

Turni Kadric, a coal miner in Bosnia, said he and his colleagues are “barely surviving,” and demonstrators advocated for European job protection and wage standards.

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In other news, dozens of protesters were jailed in Istanbul as they attempted to celebrate May 1 in defiance of a government ban enforced due to COVID-19 regulations.

Over 200 people were arrested as they attempted to enter Taksim Square and other local public places, with photos showing police firing tear gas and dragging demonstrators to the ground.

In Turkey, May Day has typically drawn out critics of the administration and has frequently resulted in police crackdowns.

Turkey has been under heavy lockdown since April 29 owing to the fatal third wave of COVID-19.

Thousands of people in Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, have protested a new labour law that critics believe could lower severance compensation, relax limits on foreign workers, and boost outsourcing as the country strives to attract more investment.

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Protesters in Jakarta’s capital erected mock graves on the pavement to represent pessimism, and marches were organised in over 200 places.

Police blocked hundreds of workers from demonstrating at a public plaza in Manila, where a month-long coronavirus lockdown has been extended by two weeks due to an increase in cases, according to protest leader Renato Reyes.

Protesters did, however, congregate momentarily on a busy Manila street, demanding pandemic cash help, wage subsidies, and COVID-19 vaccines in the face of mounting unemployment and famine.

“Workers were largely left to fend for themselves while being locked down,” Josua Mata, a labour leader, stated.