Mayday around the world

international | summit mobilisations | news report

Sunday May 02, 2004 00:04

by R. Isible - Indymedia Ireland

Add short updates below

Compilation of protests, celebrations and events.

Los Angeles: Things started early on April 30th with truckers going on a wildcat strike to protest the rising price of diesel fuel. 5 truckers later shutdown one of the main freeways by parking their trucks across it, shutting them down and leaving in a getaway car.

Vancouver, Canada: also couldn't wait until Mayday due to the simmering labour struggles. "Hydro" (which is electricity in Canadian) workers went on a wildcat in support of hospital workers who defied "back to work legislation" on the 29th of April. This is being followed up with a General Strike for Mayday

Colombia: built up to a May 1st which was used to specifically protest the TLC free-trade agreement with the US, the ALCA Latin-American-Carribean free-trade agreement and the re-election bid of President Uribe. A huge April 26th march got things moving and events will continue until May 18th

Koln: About 2000 people took advantage of the old, stone bridges to block the city succesfully

Berlin: A large Anti-fascist demo (approx 2000) passed off succesfully. Lots of pics at the link. Seems as though there were at least 2000 right-wingers (NDP) and the train ferrying them to Berlin was disrupted along its route. There are reports of about 100-150 people arrested. Across Germany an estimated 500,000 people marched in Union protests against Gerhard Schroeder's implementation of neo-liberal European policies "We don't want a Europe where one needs three jobs just to get by,"

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Comments (3 of 3)

Kewl!

by Sharrow

Sun May 02, 2004 02:45

Cool!!
A busy day for all concerned, well done!!

Peace!
Sharrow

mayday in cambridge (UK)

by hamish - Cambridge indymedia

Sun May 02, 2004 13:09

A picnic in a cambridge shopping centre was evicted. Shopping centres are only for shopping. See a feature and several newswire items at

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/cambridge/

Berlin: Nazi marching-up tilted on Mayday

by Ernst Kadletz - Antifaschistische Linke Berlin [ALB]

Mon May 03, 2004 14:25

On 1 May 2004 for years again a bad day was prepared for the Nazis in Berlin for the first time. Possible was this by a broad protest and the situation adapted action forms in each case.

At the anti-fascist demonstration "tilt Nazi marching-up!" took part approx. 2,500 humans. In best weather the demonstration started moving against 11:20 o'clock toward the east. Present were also some prominent (ex-)PDS-comrades (PDS is a socialist party) such as Petra Pau, Angela Marquardt and even the citizen of Berlin culture senator Thomas Flierl one sighted. Both the cops and the organizers were surprised of the unexpectedly high number of participants (in 2003 approx. 400 humans took part on the anti-Nazi marches). The demonstration was also amazingly multicolored.

At height Niederbarnimstrasse gave it a break-through attempt to the demo point toward Frankfurt avenue. There was something wrangling with Team Green (from Bamberg in Bavaria), no hurt ones, no arrests. At the Boxhagener place was down-counted then of 10 and started to run, on which Bavarian cops reacted quite nervously, those knows such obviously not yet. The decision of the demo line, which became to terminate demo here for a long time before in the alliance as possible option discussed, since was to be assumed we do not create it, to arrive with the whole demonstration at the Nazi route. In the result agreement consisted to give to the people the possibility of coming to the other demonstrations and/or directly on the Nazi route. And it functioned! Against some press reports the demo was terminated by the organizers and was not dissolved by the cops.

From there on everything went very fast, the cop shut-off positions was gone around, numerous citizens citizens could spacious simply be drug along. Team Green did not have a possibility so at short notice of making all entrances to the Frankfurt avenue close and several thousand humans could on several points at the Frankfurt avenue arrive in such a way. Altogether arose temporarily up to four blockades between Magdalenenstrasse and station Lichtenberg, which were then limited in each case by a chain of cops.

To approx. 15:30 o'clock such a lot going of the Nazis was prevented. An intermediate break-through attempt of the Nazis was prevented by the cops, supported by several hundreds anti-fascists on the Lichtenberger bridge (speech choirs "Hit them, always on the lip!"). Many to the author personally antifascist had at this time a broad smile on the face admitted, which unites in the last years already seemed missing.

Gradually by Team Green was tried to dissolve the blockades which went at the beginning also still completely correctly from itself. Three announcements and then evacuation toward the west provided again and again for substantial delays of the Nazi marching-up. Gradually all-sing acted the officials more violently and on height of Magdalenenstrasse to water throwers and batons were used. Only thereupon on the Frankfurt avenue barricades were established.

On the Friedrichshainer side several waste boxes completely aud, a firm passenger car was tilted and the advancing riot-cops with paving-stones burned welcomed. Meanwhile the employment line decided not to let the Nazis run any longer after Friedrichshain to lead but on the same distance again back to the station Lichtenberg. Thereupon the riots were stopped in Friedrichshain, approx. 1,000 humans celebrated a RTS, team Green were limited here to closing the roads for vehicle traffic.

The Nazis still held before the Moellendorffstrasse over in-hour demonstration and had for quite a while the smoke columns from the Friedrichshain district before itself, ascending in the Friedrichshain. Too much for the comrades on this day, most powerless here already and listened to the loudspeaker voice in sitting. Against 19:00 o'clock the Nazi marching-up had its end, the cop chains blocked anti-fascist protests on the west side of the Lichtenberger bridge were also dissolved now.

Result: On 1 May 2004 in Berlin a bad day was prepared for the Nazis. We would do it again. There were a broad mobilization and the actions was appropriate for the respective procedure of the cops, so that the collateral damages could be limited to a necessary minimum.

*Lichtenberg and Friedrichshain are districts in East-Berlin.