May Day protests intensify in Europe

May Day protests intensify in Europe
By Peggy Hollinger and Esther Bintliff in Paris and Chris Bryant in Berlin
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
Published: May 1 2009 11:46 | Last updated: May 2 2009 00:01
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2f852eec-363d-11de-af40-00144feabdc0.html


Traditional May Day demonstrations turned violent in several countries on Friday as workers took to the streets round Europe to voice their anger at the failure of governments to halt rising unemployment and other hardships caused by the global economic crisis.

Police clashed with demonstrators in Turkey, Greece and Germany, using tear gas to repel protesters throwing rocks and petrol bombs through shop windows. However, the violence in those countries appears to have been sparked by fringe elements hijacking peaceful protests.

Thousands joined May Day demonstrations around France to protest against President Nicolas Sarkozy’s social policies and his handling of the financial crisis
By early evening, demonstrations in Spain and France appeared to be peaceful, though they too revealed a deepening social division fuelled by the crisis. “There are too many inequalities between the people with money and workers,” said a factory worker demonstrating in Paris, where trade unions were united in protest for the first time since the second world war.

Protesters warned social tension would intensify if governments proved unable to respond to the growing malaise. Martine Fournier, a 62-year-old French municipal worker marching in Paris, said: “I want a general strike. Nothing can be worse than what we have today.”

In spite of a generally festive atmosphere, French authorities remained vigilant and were preparing for the traditional clashes that often come when night begins to fall.

In Berlin, about 5,000 police were expected to be deployed in preparation for a potential rerun of the violent clashes that have marred Germany’s May Day celebrations for several years. Anarchists threw bottles and stones, attacked bus shelters and set fire to cars and rubbish bins.

Police in Ulm, south-west Germany, used water cannon to contain the violence when about 1,000 neo-Nazis and several thousand opposing protesters clashed.

Officials said the day’s protests were “predominantly peaceful”, but almost 50 police officers were injured and there were dozens of arrests. German unions said 484,000 people had protested, while French activists said up to 1.2m participated; French police put the figure at 465,000.

In Turkey, dozens were injured and more than 100 people were detained by police. The violence took place mainly in Taksim Square.

In Athens, almost 6,000 people initially marched peacefully, under the watch of 4,000 police. – to protest the crisis and bank bail-outs.