In Appleton and across Wisconsin, people will advocate for workers’ and immigrants’ rights this year on May Day, or May 1.
Organizers of this year’s May Day protests are calling for people to join a day without school, work, or shopping. The May Day Strong coalition is also calling for a crackdown on Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions and “no private army serving authoritarian power,” according to the website.
Protests and other May Day events have doubled since last year, according to a press release from 50501 organizers. There are at least 50 events expected May 1 in Wisconsin. Last year, people gathered in Houdini Plaza in Appleton for a May Day protest..
Here is what to know about a planned protest in the Appleton area.
When and where is the May Day protest in Appleton?
The Fox Valley Indivisible Wisconsin May Day protest will call for “workers over billionaires.” It is scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. in Houdini Plaza, 100 W. Lawrence St.
What is May Day? Is May Day a federal holiday?
International Workers’ Day, commonly known as May Day, marks the strides and struggles of labor movements around the world. May 1 was recognized with workers’ rights starting in 1886 when thousands of laborers joined a strike in Chicago pushing for an eight-hour workday. The strikes became violent with clashes between police and protesters, and they culminated in the May 4, 1886, rally in Haymarket Square where a bomb exploded in a melee.
Labor activists named May 1 as International Workers’ Day in 1889 to commemorate the Haymarket Affair and advocate for workers’ rights. While it is not a federally recognized holiday in the United States, several other countries acknowledge it as a holiday including India, China, South Africa, Germany, France, and Spain.
The volunteer-led 50501 movement helps organize protests nationwide with labor unions and other grassroots organizations.
Where are other May Day protests in Wisconsin?
Maia Pandey of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this article.
Contact Benita Mathew at bmathew@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: May Day protest planned in Appleton against unfair taxes, ICE, war
Reporting by Benita Mathew, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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