In pictures: May Day 2026

World, May 3rd

Heavy repression in Istanbul marks global demonstrations for International Workers’ Day

~ Cristina Sykes ~

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets worldwide on Friday (1 May) to protest against poverty wages, unsafe conditions of work, growing inequality, and political indifference.

“This day reminds us that all economic and social structures rest upon the shoulders of workers who themselves have been deprived of the fruits of their labor”, wrote Iranian anarcho-syndicalist Hasse-Nima Golkar. “Strikes, workplace occupations, self-management, and the creation of free and independent workers’ councils are not only means of struggle, but also a preview of the society workers seek to build — a society without hierarchy, without authority or domination, based on mutual aid, solidarity, and voluntary, free cooperation”.

In Istanbul, the Erdogan regime deployed a massive police operation, blocking roads to prevent the march from reaching Taksim Square, the city’s iconic landmark and the starting point of many large-scale social movements. Police attacked protesters arriving from the Besiktas and Mecidiyekoy neighborhoods. Images show mass and violent arrests, including a young man on the ground being choked, his fist still raised. 576 people were detained, and 46 protesters were sent to court after being interrogated. The regime has arrested and imprisoned thousands of political opponents in recent years.

In Turin, clashes broke out between police and protesters in front of the historic Askatasuna social centre, evicted just before Christmas. The procession attempted to retake the large red building in the heart of the city, which had been occupied for decades and served as a space for organising, creating, celebrating, and mutual aid. The Meloni government, waging war against these autonomous spaces, most recently evicted the Laurentino social centre in Rome.

In Chiang Mai it was a family friendly May Day, with prominent anarchist flags and banners as every year. A truly gigantic circle-A banner with the other side reading “make racists afraid again” was difficult to move across the bridge because of wind. There was a play performed by a group campaigning for days off for menstruation, whose t-shirts read ‘I want bleeding holiday’. “Traffic didn’t even stop this year”, said a participant, “cars were passing me an inch from my elbow the whole time”.

“Anarchists have been central to May Day since its origins as a labor holiday in 1886”, wrote CrimethInc. in a new post, saying that “we need to promote a wide array of reproducible grassroots tactics that can be taken up far outside radical circles—ideally, tactics that aren’t especially difficult or costly to try out in relation to what one can achieve by using them—and popularize a clear roadmap to social change that does not rely on parties or politicians”.

In Berlin, the traditional “Revolutionary May Day Demonstration” was attended by over 30,000 people. There were clashes with police and 87 people were reported arrested. Repression was also prominent in Montreal where 13 were violently arrested. Riots were reported in Santiago, Chile, where the new far-right government is an heir to the Pinochet dictatorship.

In France, police was heavy handed in Paris, whereas in Nantes clashes broke out repeatedly during the march. Some neo-Nazis were attacked after making Nazi salutes toward protesters, and kept safe by police intervention. Riot cops also attacked a group of demonstrators during a minute of silence for CGT trade unionist Oussama Sbaï who died two days ago, and tried to gran their banner. In Lyon, police used tear gas in a failed attempt to block the march.

In Manila, Philippines, tens of thousands took the streets, outraged by the rising cost of living and low wages while the country is experiencing a political crisis. Clashes were reported in front of the US embassy, and cardboard tanks bearing the faces of Trump, Netanyahu, and Philippine president Bongbong Marcos were set ablaze.