For one day, workers ruled the world’s biggest streets.
Thousands strong marched Wednesday to mark May Day, the first day of the month when workers’ rights are celebrated in demonstrations around the globe.
From Seoul to Paris, Istanbul to Berlin, they drew attention to stagnant wages and the high cost of living as they took aim at their governments. In some cases, their governments returned fire.
In Turkey, police in riot gear shot rubber bullets and tear gas at thousands of protesters who clashed with officers as they tried to break through a barricade and reach Istanbul’s Taksim square in defiance of a ban.
Tear gas also rose from the streets of Paris, where workers seeking higher pay and better conditions were joined by others rankled by the upcoming Summer Games. They torched replica Olympic rings.
Standing out in the crowds were the many messages held high on banners or scrawled in pen on simple signs.
“We work to live!!! Not to die!!!” read the sign held by a man in...
May 01