Across the globe Wednesday, millions of demonstrators took to the streets to promote workers' rights, with demands reflecting the pressing labor and economic issues facing each nation. Occupy Wall Street activists returned to Manhattan; police in Istanbul, Turkey, fired tear gas and water cannons at demonstrators; and anti-austerity demonstrators held a general strike in Greece, crippling the nation's transit system.
Though the U.S does not observe May Day — President Eisenhower, concerned about the holiday's perceived communist overtones, renamed May 1 "Law Day" in 1958 — organizers held demonstrations in many U.S. cities. Take a look at these May Day photos from around the world:
Moscow
A rally in Moscow organized by the Russian Communist Party.
(REUTERS/Murad Sezer)
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Denmark
Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt's May Day speech fails to impress the crowd.
(AP Photo/Polfoto/Daniel hjort)
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Chile
Police detain a demonstrator in Santiago, Chile, after protests there turned violent.
(REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado)
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Tokyo
An estimated 32,000 took to the streets of Tokyo.
(Natsuki Sakai/AFLO)
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Taiwan
Taiwanese workers attempt to remove a road block during a protest over pension cuts.
(AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
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Berlin
Germans express their discontent with a universal gesture.
(REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch)
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Hong Kong
A man carries a huge caricature of billionaire tycoon Victor Li during a protest over working conditions and pay.
(Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images)
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NYC
Protesters gather in Union Square, site of Occupy Wall Street's second encampment.
(Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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London
A demonstrator and possible Star Wars fan in London.
(REUTERS/Toby Melville)