British May Day reports

This video from the USA is called Occupy May Day 2012.

From daily The Morning Star in Nlondon, England:

Britain’s working class fights back

Tuesday 01 May 2012

by John Millington, at Trafalgar Square

London’s workers made their opposition to cuts clear today with a 2,000-strong May Day march through the capital, joining millions who took to the streets across the world.

Construction, Remploy and public-sector staff assembled alongside Turkish, Iranian and Sri Lankan activists at Clerkenwell Green before marching through the city for the Trafalgar Square rally.

The Remploy workers at the head of the march stole the show, urging the coalition to save jobs for disabled workers.

GMB national convener at Remploy Les Woodward said the attack on the firm and its staff “encapsulates what this government is trying to do to the whole working class.

“They are trying to destroy us,” he told the Star.

Mr Woodward urged workers to mobilise for a general strike to defeat the government’s austerity agenda.

Remploy worker Julie Haynes said the firm could be profitable with proper investment.

“What makes Remploy different is we do a skilled job – we contribute to society, we pay our taxes,” she said.

Highlighting the international character of the march, RMT London transport regional organiser Steve Headley said the fight against racism and fascism could not be more important.

“We’ve got to fight as the working class,” he said.

“We can’t be divided by ethnic differences. We have got to wake up and fight back.”

Others on the march drew attention to co-ordinated strike action around pensions planned for May 10.

Southern and Eastern Region TUC secretary Megan Dobney said May 10 would be an “important sign that working-class people and trade unions in particular are opposing the government agenda.”

By Tony Patey in Britain:

We need to band together and lobby the government to make May 1 – International Workers Day – a national public holiday similar to many parts of the rest of Europe.

That was the message as protests and demos took place around the nation today with other events planned over the next few days.

May 1 is a national holiday in more than 80 countries, including most of Europe, and is unofficially celebrated across the world.

Sparks turned out in force in the heart of the City of London for a May Day protest in their continuing fight for direct employment on all construction sites: here.

Photos: May Day Rallies Around the World 2012: here.