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After a long period when the workers' day was either assumed to be nearly dead, or institutionalised and no longer a threat to authority, it is back. Recent years have seen growing protests on 1 May, and the anti-capitalist movement in many countries has made the day its own. The spirit of rebellion to be found in such protests is now being brought together to form a new and powerful movement. So the London May Day march in 2002 is organised not only by the rather low key Greater London Association of Trades Councils (I should know, I am a longstanding delegate and friendly critic of what form the May Day march should take) but also by, it is admitted on all sides, the somewhat more youthful and energetic forces of Globalise Resistance. |
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Hobsbawm sees May Day as a 'labour ritual', a characteristic form of organised labour, but actually the early May Days were a lot more exciting than that. The first International May Day was proclaimed by the socialist Second International in 1889. However, the origins go back decades before this. The link between May Day and the use of the red flag as a symbol for socialist workers is close, perhaps above all in France. The British angle is that not just of a demonstration, but of a workers' festival based on miners' galas. So that first May Day already inherited some complex traditions--a demonstration of working class power which had to be respected, and was respectable, but, again as Hobsbawm notes, combined with beer and skittles. It was both a tremendous celebration of working class culture and a display of working class organisation. There were political speeches, and there was also eating, drinking and games. This is what the social historian Peter Bailey has termed 'thinking and drinking', and to this day the London May Day events comprise not just a march and political rally, but a football tournament and an evening of culture as well. |
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The first British May Day demonstrations were actually held on Sundays. So it was on Sunday 4 May 1890 that Engels commented that 'the English working class joined up in the great international army...the grandchildren of the old Chartists are entering the line of battle'. Engels clearly saw the rise of the May Day demonstration as the rebirth of the international labour movement. At first getting united May Day demonstrations including both trade unionists and socialists was difficult, and unity had to be fought for over a number of years. A report of the 1898 Manchester May Day demonstration notes that '26 trade unions, the Independent Labour Party, the Social Democratic Federation and the Manchester Labour Church took part in the demonstration which was acknowledged to be the largest in point of numbers and the most successful May Day labour demonstration yet held'. The first May Day was planned as a one-off demonstration. The fact that it became an annual event was due not to the leaders of the Second International but pressure from the grassroots. |
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Some socialist leaders at the time felt that the May Day march should be an entirely serious, perhaps even glum affair. This view of life may be familiar to those who have experienced some British May Day activities in recent decades. However, by 1893 Engels was referring to May Day as a 'Maifeier' or celebration, and in the same year the workers' leader Costa argued that 'Catholics have Easter--henceforth workers will have their own Easter'. The Italian May Day perhaps led the way in the aspect of celebration. |
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An International Movement :
The original May Day demand was for a legal eight-hour day on an international basis. However as the years rolled on
May Day came to assume the form of a wider demonstration of workers' power. It was here that arguably the most potent aspect
of May Day arose, the festival becoming a one-day strike in many countries. For many others it was also a commemoration of
the US 'Chicago Martyrs'--anarchists framed and executed by the state. May Day, as Hobsbawm notes, became such a huge
festival and demonstration that it also spawned a massive range of badges, flags, papers and cartoons. Much of this is still
familiar today. However, an aspect which is less well known is the association of the May Day events with spring, youth and
rebirth. Here the symbol was a flower. Almost always, whether a carnation in Austria or Italy, a paper rose in Germany or a
poppy in France, the flower was red. May Day became an international socialist symbol of what the artist and designer Walter
Crane called the 'dawn of labour'. A Crane cartoon for May Day 1896, for example, shows an English worker offering the hand
of international socialist cooperation to Italian, German, French and other workers with the slogan 'International solidarity
of labour--the true answer to jingoism'. Crane dedicated the cartoon to 'the workers of the world'. |
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Eric Hobsbawm has unearthed a marvellous quote from an Italian worker recalling what early May Days meant. The worker, Pietro
Comollo, noted, 'Everybody used to say, "It's our festival--it's the workers' festival." We knew vaguely that it was in
memory of those who'd fought for the eight hours, the Chicago Martyrs. So that was a symbolic fact. And then, well...it was
just a holiday--there were the red carnations. It was a fighting demonstration...because we were all there together and
united. Even the anarchists turned up'. In some cases May Day demonstrations and strikes continued during the First World
War. Following the arrest of the Scottish socialist leader John Maclean on 15 April 1918 and a charge of sedition against
him, the Glasgow May Day Committee called a one-day strike for peace on 1 May 1919. Maclean's daughter Nan Milton has
recalled that 'when the great day dawned, the most sanguine hopes were justified. One hundred thousand Glasgow workers took
the day off to march in procession, and thousands more lined the streets to cheer the demonstrators as they passed by.
Glasgow was on fire with red banners, red ribbons and red rosettes. The air was alive with the sound of revolutionary songs
and with the blare of bands. Socialist literature was showered everywhere and eagerly purchased on all sides. On Glasgow
Green orators spoke from 22 different platforms...sectarian bitterness was forgotten. There was plenty of friendly criticism,
but the common struggle united all in bonds of real solidarity... This great celebration finished up with a huge crowd
marching to Duke Street prison. Three times a tremendous shout arose from thousands of lusty throats: "John Maclean! John
Maclean! John Maclean!"'. |
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Celebration in the United Kingdom :
Traditional English May Day rites and celebrations include Morris dancing, crowning a May Queen, celebrating Green Man day
and dancing around a Maypole. Much of this tradition derives from the pagan festival of Beltane. In Oxford on May Morning,
many pubs are open from sunrise, and some of the college bars are open all night. Madrigals are still sung from the roof of
the tower of Magdalen College, with thousands gathering on Magdalen Bridge to listen. Traditionally, revellers have jumped
from the bridge into the River Cherwell below as part of the celebrations. About one hundred people did this in 2005. The
river, however, was then only three feet deep in places and more than half of those who jumped needed medical treatment. St.
Andrews has a similar student tradition — the majority of the students gather on the beach late on April 30th and run into
the North Sea at sunrise on the 1st, often naked. This is accompanied by torchlit processions and much celebration. |
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In recent years, the political events have split into two camps. The mainstream workers' movement celebrates May Day on the
first Monday after May the first (which may or may not actually occur on 1 May). This day is the national Spring Bank
Holiday, and on it small scale rallies are held by political parties (generally including, but not limited to, the Labour
Party, the Socialist Workers' Party, the Scottish Socialist Party, the Communist Party of Britain and other left-wing
groups). These occasions are typified by the selling of propaganda materials, and beer tents in parks. The actual date of 1
May generally features rallies and marches organised by anarchist groups, although in recent years these have also involved
communist groups (particularly those of the Trotskyist branch). |
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May Day marks springtime celebrations too such as :
* Walpurgis Night in Northern Europe, including the Finnish Vappu celebrations
* Beltane in Ireland and Scotland
* Roodmas
* Calendimaggio in Northern and Central Italy, related to the return of the sun and spring
* May Morning in Oxford
* Hamilton College hosts an annual music outdoor music festival known as "May Day." However the name has no political
connotations or association with other May Day holidays. Rather the name simply refers to the fact that the festival is
staged in late April or early May.
These holidays were also respected by some early European settlers of the American continent. In Hawaii, May Day is
also known as Lei Day, and is normally set aside as a day to celebrate island culture in general and native Hawaiian culture
in particular. |
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Celebration in Germany :
Berlin, Germany, particularly in the districts of Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg, traditionally has yearly demonstrations on
May Day. In 1929, the social democratic SPD government prohibited the annual May Day workers' demonstrations in Berlin. The
communist party KPD, which was the strongest party in Berlin, called demonstrations nonetheless. By the end of the day, 32
demonstrators, workers and bystanders had been killed by the police, at least 80 were seriously injured. The Berlin police,
under control of the supposedly pro-labor social democratic government, had fired a total of 11,000 rounds of live
ammunition. This incident, remembered as Blutmai (ger.) (blood May) deepened the split between the workers' parties KPD and
SPD. This gave an advantage to the Nazis, who became Germany's governing party in 1933, partly due to the fact that the KPD
and SPD had been unable to form an anti-Nazi coalition. The Nazis adapted May Day to their purposes, calling it the "day of
work", which is still the official name for this public holiday. Ironically, just after May Day - to be more precise, on May
2, 1933 - the Nazis outlawed and all free labor unions and other independent workers' organizations in Germany. The
Reichsarbeitsdienst (or RAD, Reich Labour Service) was formed in July 1934 as an amalgamation of the outlawed unions. |
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In today's Germany May Day is still of political importance, with labor unions and parties using this day for political
campaigns and activities, but since 1987 it has also become known for heavy rioting by radical leftists, including the punk
rock scene, Autonome and others, but also "regular" youths not fond of the police. However, violence from the political left
has been on the decline in recent years, with May Day 2005 in Berlin being the most peaceful in nearly 23 years. In recent
years, neo-nazis and other groups on the far right like the NPD have also used the day to schedule public demonstrations,
often leading to clashes with left-wing protesters, which turned especially violent in the historical city of Leipzig in 1998
and 2005. In rural regions of Germany, Walpurgisnacht celebrations of pagan origin are traditionally held on the night before
May Day, including bonfires and the wrapping of May Poles, and young people use this opportunity to party, while the day
itself is used by many families to get some fresh air, wurst and beer. Motto: "Tanz in den Mai!" ("Dance in May!"). |
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Celebration in Australia :
In Australia, workers in some industries had claimed the eight hour day in the 1850s. The new international Eight
Hour day was welcomed by Australian workers. On May 1st 1890, the Brisbane Workers editorial said "May Day, this is our May
Day, the by-gone jubilation of our forefathers for the reconquering of by the bright sunshine of the bitter northern winter,
the new-born celebration of the passing of the workers' winter of discontent. In Germany, in Austria, in Belgium, in France,
all through Europe, in the United Kingdom and in the great English speaking republic across the Pacific, millions of workers
are gathering at this hour to voice the demands of Labor for fair conditions of laboring. Never in all history was there such
a meeting..." A large May Day meeting was held in Melbourne in 1890, chaired by Dr Maloney,a highly respected person who
later became a federal Labor MP. The group of radicals who called this metting had an inaugural meeting on May Day 1886, to
coincide with the US movement protests. Anarchist activists were prominent then, including J Andrews, Chummy Fleming, David
Andrade and Monty Miller.
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Going Underground :
Such was the strength and power of those early May Day protests that, those in authority tried to take it over. The
Bolsheviks of course made it a genuine workers' day, but Hitler also made May Day a national holiday of labour, with very
different imagery and meaning to that of 1889. After the First World War the nature of May Day demonstrations began to
change. For a start such huge expressions of working class organisation were only possible where the labour movement was
legal. First in Italy, then in Germany and in numbers of other countries this was not the case. The tradition continued
underground, but this was a very different matter to public displays. In general, certainly since 1945, two things can be
said about the celebration of May Day. Firstly, it has ebbed and flowed depending on the general level of class confidence.
Difficult though it may be to recall now, there were actually huge May Day marches in Britain involving strike action in the
1970s. Edmund and Ruth Frow have recalled how 'many factories' in Salford were closed as workers joined the protest. The
continuing tradition of strike action on May Day was one reason why a Labour government acted to make it a public holiday.
Even in the difficult years of the 1980s the tradition continued. In his diary for Monday 7 May 1984 Tony Benn recalls May
Day celebrations in Chesterfield at the height of the 1984-85 miners' strike. He noted that it was the 'biggest ever, with
10,000 people marching through the town. There were one or two hiccups during the speeches. No woman speaker had been
included, and the women demanded the right to speak'. |
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The second thing that has endured about May Day is the iconography. The colour red is still associated with 1 May, as are
certain songs such as the Internationale and Bandiera Rossa. It is important to remember both the history and traditions of
May Day, not only because those in authority would like us to forget them, but also because in making May Day again a huge
international celebration of working class politics and culture we can reappropriate this history and symbolism, and start to
make some of our own. |
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