BBC NEWS | In Pictures | In pictures: May Day protests

BBC NEWS / IN PICTURES
Graphics Version BBC Sport Home

17:22 GMT, Friday, 1 May 2009 18:22 UK

In pictures: May Day protests

1 of 11
Hundreds of thousands of people around the world have taken to the streets on May Day to protest against their governments' handling of the financial crisis.

Demonstrators in Paris, France

2 of 11
In France, trades unions organised some 300 mass protests around the country to voice their anger over President Nicolas Sarkozy's economic and social policies.

Turkish protesters clash with police in Istanbul on 1/5/09

Turkish protesters clash with police in Istanbul on 1/5/09

3 of 11
Violence broke out in Istanbul as police used tear gas and water cannon to prevent thousands of demonstrators marching to a main square in the Turkish city.

German police remove a protester from a train station in Berlin on 1/5/09

German police remove a protester from a train station in Berlin on 1/5/09

4 of 11
Berlin was also a scene of tension as German riot police forcibly remove protesters trying to blockade a commuter train station in one district of the capital.

German police watch burning bins after clashes with protesters in Berlin on 1/5/09

German police watch burning bins after clashes with protesters in Berlin on 1/5/09

5 of 11
Overnight, 29 police were injured after clashes with protesters who hurled stones and bottles and set fire to rubbish bins.

Russian police detain a protester in Moscow on 1/5/09

Russian police detain a protester in Moscow on 1/5/09

6 of 11
In Russia, government supporters and opponents took to the streets. There were reports of police arresting several dozen activists in St Petersburg.

Police detain a protester in Seoul, South Korea

Police detain a protester in Seoul, South Korea

7 of 11
Arrests were also made in South Korea's capital, Seoul, where anti-government protesters demanded better pay conditions for workers and farmers.

Marchers in Havana

8 of 11
In Cuba, marchers praised the country's former President Fidel Castro and chanted and anti-US slogans during a huge rally in the capital Havana.

Protest march in Hong Kong on 1/5/09

9 of 11
Several hundred people in Asia's financial hub, Hong Kong, protested against job cuts and reduced working hours.

A protester in Dakar with a placard against child labour

A protester in Dakar with a placard against child labour

10 of 11
In Senegal's capital, Dakar, demonstrators demanded a ban on child labour in the country.

Protest march in Manila on 1/5/09

11 of 11
Greater protection for jobs was the theme of several rallies held in the Philippines.

E-mail this to a friend