PARIS — Hundreds of thousands of European workers feeling the pinch of the economic crisis rallied at May Day protests Friday from Moscow to Berlin to Istanbul.
Violence and clashes between police and protesters disrupted some events, including in Greece, Germany and Turkey. But overall participation fell short of what many countries’ unions had hoped for on May Day, a public holiday in many countries that has long celebrated the social and economic achievements of labor movements.
Many of the protesters complained about rising unemployment and lost benefits, but few specifics appeared to emerge from the demonstrations about what governments should be doing to fight the global crisis.
In Paris, fractious French labor unions came together for the first time in decades to stage a joint march that ended at the Place de la Bastille. Up to 300 smaller demonstrations were planned across France.
“There are five to six times more protesters than on a normal May Day,” said Francois Chereque, head of the CFDT union.
In Italy, union leaders shifted May Day rallies from major cities to the earthquake-stricken town of L’Aquila as a sign of solidarity with thousands who lost their jobs when businesses crumbled in the quake last month.
Spain — which has gone from being one of Europe’s strongest economies to having its highest unemployment rate — saw tens of thousands of people demonstrate. Still, participation failed to reach the massive levels union leaders called for.
In Moscow, several thousand Communist supporters gathered near a statue of Karl Marx and called for the government to resign.
