The Corona pandemic casts a shadow over May Day celebrations

The world celebrates today, Saturday, the first of May, International Workers’ Day, and for the second year in a row the Corona pandemic casts its shadow over the celebrations in various countries of the world, as the activities of this day were reduced to their minimum.

In France, demonstrations were held in several cities – including Paris, Lille, and Marseille – to demand the implementation of a set of reforms.

The protesters called on the government to combat unemployment, reform the pension law, increase wages and salaries, and improve working conditions.

In Germany, many cities witnessed limited events, in the city of Hamburg only 200 people participated due to the measures of the Corona pandemic.

In a speech during the event, the President of the Federation of Trade Unions, Ranier Hoffmann, said that the social and economic consequences of the Corona pandemic are very great.

The capital, Berlin, also witnessed an event in front of the historic Brandenburg Gate, in the presence of the President of the Minerals, Chemistry and Energy Syndicate, Michel Vasiliades, where he explained in a speech that low-income people are the most affected group due to the pandemic.

Protests and arrests

In Turkey, the Turkish authorities arrested several demonstrators who were trying to celebrate Labor Day, despite the national lockdown.

Turkey entered a strict lockdown last Thursday, to help limit the spread of the new Corona virus.

The closure is scheduled to continue without interruption until May 17th. Advertising

And local media – including the newspaper “Cumhuriyet” – said that the police in Istanbul cordoned off the streets leading to the famous “Taksim” Square with armored vehicles to combat riots.

The newspaper added that skirmishes broke out between the police and demonstrators who tried to walk to Taksim Square, and about 100 people were arrested in Istanbul.

Taksim Square usually witnesses clashes on Labor Day since clashes in it led to the killing of 34 people on May 1, 1977, during a period of turmoil in Turkey’s modern history.

A claim to freedom

In Myanmar, demonstrators took to the streets in several cities to demand freedom and justice after the military coup that took place in the country on the first of last February.

Many in the Mandalay, Yangon and Bago regions carried banners with slogans that read, “We continue to fight until the end”, “The Military Council can never rule us.”

Protesters in Yangon praised those who joined the “civil disobedience” movement despite the constant threat of violence against civilians.

According to the Association for the Assistance of Political Prisoners, at least 759 people have been killed and more than 4,500 people arrested since the February 1 coup, while the army continues to take violent measures against mostly peaceful demonstrations.

On Friday, the United Nations warned that the situation in Myanmar is deteriorating on all fronts, as poverty and the Corona virus are increasingly prevalent.

Hardships and collapse

In the Arab world, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune called on Saturday to take into account the interests of citizens during labor demonstrations and protests in various sectors.

Tebboune emphasized the state’s keenness to gradually reduce the unemployment rate by supporting the knowledge economy and emerging institutions.

In Tunisia, the Secretary-General of the Tunisian Labor Union, Noureddine Taboubi, said that his country’s economy is on the verge of collapse and is threatened with bankruptcy. This came in a speech on the occasion of International Labor Day broadcast by the Federation on its official website.

Taboubi stated that there are indications of the worst consequences for the Tunisian economy.

He added that the collapse was not only due to the repercussions of the Corona pandemic, but rather to the inherent fragility of the Tunisian economic model.

The Tunisian Labor Union is the oldest trade union organization in Tunisia. It was founded in 1946, and has more than 500,000 members across the country.

It is noteworthy that Tunisia suffers – in addition to the political crisis – from two economic and social crises exacerbated by the Corona pandemic, as the economy witnessed a contraction of 8.8% last year.