The 2015 May Day protests were a series of international protests involving tens of thousands of people that took place worldwide on May Day (1 May 2015) over
austerity measures and poor working conditions.
[
]
Locations
Italy
Protests in Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
were primarily peaceful with about 30,000 demonstrators attending according to organizers and denounced the Expo 2015
Expo 2015 was a World Expo hosted by Milan, Italy. It opened on May 1 at 10:00 CEST and closed on October 31. Milan hosted an exposition for the second time; the first was the 1906 Milan International.
The Bureau International des Expositi ...
meeting.[ Some protests were violent with about 500 individuals equipped with motorcycle helmets and batons gathered near Piazza XXIV Maggio far from the Expo 15 convention.][ Violent protesters clashed with police, torched several vehicles and a few business, broke windows of shops and threw homemade explosives at some businesses.][
]
Maldives
Aftermath of conviction of former president Mohamed Nasheed of Maldives
Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
, a series of small protests started in the capital city of Maldives. Opposition parties Adaalath Party & Maldivian Democratic Party joined to conduct the large protest on Mal'e City which is known as Maldivian May Day. It was estimated that around 7000 people around the Maldives came to the capital city of Maldives. After a bloody protest and the arrest of an opposition leader Imran Abdulla Protests was over around 00:30 in local time.
South Korea
Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...
and threatened a "general strike" if the government performed the planned labor reforms.[
]
Turkey
Authorities blocked access to Taksim Square
Taksim Square ( tr, Taksim Meydanı, ), situated in Beyoğlu in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey, is a major tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shops, and hotels. It is considered the heart of modern Istanbul, with the c ...
by blocking transportation routes and dispersed protesters with water cannons and tears gas.[ It was estimated by Turkish media that 20,000 police were sent out with 62 water cannon trucks and 203 individuals involved in the Istanbul protests were arrested.][
]
United States
An annual protest march was held in Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
for numerous causes, such as immigrant rights, labor rights, and solidarity with the 2015 Baltimore protests
On April 12, 2015, Baltimore Police Department officers arrested Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American resident of Baltimore, Maryland. Gray's neck and spine were injured while he was in a police vehicle and he went into a coma. On Ap ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:May Day protests, 2015
2015 protests
May Day protests
Protests in Seattle
Labor disputes in Maldives