Tens of thousands of people joined US May Day rallies in nearly 30 cities on Friday, protesting the US-Israeli war on Iran and demanding stronger labour and immigrant rights.
May Day Strong, a coalition of activist groups and labour unions, said demonstrators held rallies in Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston and San Francisco.
In New York, thousands gathered at Washington Square Park in Manhattan before marching to Foley Square with signs reading “Stop war on Iran” and “ICE out of our cities.”
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the crowd and pledged support for labour and immigrant rights, including protection from Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions.
In Los Angeles, immigrants, union members and community activists rallied at MacArthur Park, calling for immigration reform, expanded labour protections and an “economic blackout” to show workers’ collective power.
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David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West, told the Los Angeles crowd that demonstrators would not be afraid or silenced.
Demonstrators also gathered at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and in downtown Chicago, where protesters carried signs calling for workers’ rights and an end to the Iran war.
International Workers’ Day traces its roots to the 19th-century US labour movement for an eight-hour workday and the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago.
