May Day demonstrations in US and around the globe protest Trump agenda

CHICAGO — Hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. and around the world rallied Thursday in May Day protests that united many in anger over President Donald Trump's agenda from aggressive tariffs that are stoking fears of global economic turmoil to his administration's immigration crackdowns.

In the United States, organizers framed this year's International Workers' Day protests as a pushback against what they see as the administration's sweeping assault on labor protections, diversity initiatives and federal employees. Protesters lined streets in many cities from New York to Philadelphia to Los Angeles and held a boisterous rally outside the White House in Washington.

Huge turnout as US May Day protests focus on Trump

In Chicago, thousands of people rallied in a West Side park before marching through downtown to the lakefront. Some played drums and danced while others chanted ''No justice, no peace!'' The crowd included union workers, immigrant rights advocates, pro-Palestinian activists and students calling for better-funded public schools.

"We need to stand up and fight back,'' said Latrina Barnes, a 48-year-old certified nurses assistant, adding that worries Medicaid and Medicare might be affected under the Trump administration inspired her to protest in a May Day rally for the first time.

Some rallygoers used humor to protest, displaying a Trump puppet, an inflatable Trump baby chicken and a Trump pinata shaped like a bull.

Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke outside Philadelphia's City Hall during a rally after which the crowd marched in the streets. Dozens sat in an intersection wearing signs reading ''Workers over billionaires," and police began taking some of them into custody, leading them to nearby buses.

''We're bringing the fight to the billionaires and politicians who are trying to divide us with fear and lies,'' said April Verrett, president of the Service Employees International Union, which represents 2 million workers.

A number of speakers demanded elected officials protect workers' and immigrants' rights. With the slogan ''One Struggle, One Fight — Workers Unite,'' the event was organized by the Los Angeles May Day Coalition, made up of labor unions and community-based groups.

In Atlanta, hundreds gathered at a downtown park across from the state Capitol. The crowd included some retired U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention workers. The CDC is headquartered in Atlanta and is expected to lose around 2,400 employees due to cuts by the Trump administration.

''We really want to stand up for all of our fellow laborers who were laid off or just fired with no real reason,'' said Deblina Datta, who worked on global immunization efforts before retiring in 2023. ''We really want to make a cry that without the CDC, bad things will happen."

In New York City, hundreds of lawyers and their supporters gathered near courthouses in Lower Manhattan for a ''National Rule of Law Day'' rally to decry what some called the Trump administration's disrespect of the legal system.

The arrest of Columbia University graduate student and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil sent a message ''that anyone who disagrees with this president will face consequences,'' Veronica Salama, the New York Civil Liberties Union lawyer representing him, told the crowd.

''This is about all of us in the face of escalating repression," Salama said. "We recognize the interconnectedness of our struggles.''

European rallies target trade policies, rise of far-right

French union leaders condemned the ''Trumpization'' of world politics, saying demonstrations throughout the country were fueled by anger over U.S. military and trade influence in Europe. Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon accused the U.S. of pushing Europe toward conflict and economic subservience.

''If the North Americans don't want our goods anymore, we can just sell them to others,'' he said.

In Spain, thousands marched in Madrid, Barcelona and other cities, with demands ranging from a shorter workweek to answers for a historic power outage that blacked out the Iberian Peninsula earlier this week. Trump's name also surfaced.

''The world has changed a bit with Trump's arrival,'' said Ángel López, 56, a worker from Madrid. ''The arrival of the far right to a country like the United States is a major global shift.''

Trump-fueled economic fears raised in Asia protests

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te cited the new U.S. tariffs under Trump as he promoted a sweeping economic package aimed at shoring up jobs and industry. In the Philippines, protest leader Mong Palatino warned that ''tariff wars and policies of Trump'' threatened local industries and people's livelihoods.

Some 2,500 union members marched from the Taiwanese presidential office in Taipei, warning that Trump's tariffs could lead to job losses.

In Manila, thousands of Filipino workers rallied near the presidential palace, where police blocked access with barricades. Protesters demanded wage hikes and stronger protections for local jobs and small businesses.

In Jakarta, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto addressed a cheering crowd at the National Monument Park. ''The government that I lead will work as hard as possible to eliminate poverty from Indonesia,'' he said.

Istanbul mayor's arrest is focus of protests in Turkey

In Turkey, May Day served as a platform not only for labor rights but for broader calls to uphold democratic values.

Tens of thousands gathered on Istanbul's Asian shore where some protested the jailing of Istanbul's opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu. His imprisonment in March sparked the country's largest protests in more than a decade.

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