Union members scuffle with Turkish police officers as they try to march towards Taksim square in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, May 1, 2026, during Labor Day celebrations. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
People across Asia kicked off May Day with large marches and protests as many workers grapple with rising energy costs and shrinking purchasing power tied to the Iran war. Also known as International Workers’ Day or Labor Day, the holiday highlights the struggles and achievements of workers worldwide. Thousands are taking to the streets from Asia to Europe and beyond calling for stronger labor protections, higher wages and greater equality while drawing attention to stagnant incomes and the rising cost of living.
__
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
People gather at Union Square park for a May Day rally in New York, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)Protesters burn an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump during a May Day rally in Manila, Philippines on Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions shout slogans during a rally on May Day in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, May 1, 2026. AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)Protesters march in the teargas during the May Day demonstration in Lyon, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)A man holds a poster with an image of former Soviet leader Josef Stalin as he and other Russian Communist Party supporters gather to mark Labor Day, also known as May Day, at the monument to 19th century German philosopher Karl Marx, near the Red Square in Moscow, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)Activists of Bonded Labour Liberation Front Pakistan (BLLF) hold placards during a May Day rally, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)A family watch people march to mark International Workers’ Day, also known as May Day, in Sydney, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)Members of trade unions take part in a May Day rally in Tsakane, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)People demonstrate during the May Day protest in Santiago, Chile, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Luis Hidalgo)People attend a concert organized by Italy’s main national labor unions to mark May Day, in Rome, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)Supporters of the Iraqi Communist Party holds a symbolic hammer and sickle as they take part in the May Day celebration in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)People march to Washington Square Park during a May Day rally in New York, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)A person is taken into custody at Union park during a May Day rally in Chicago, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)Members of the Moroccan Labor Union (UMT) celebrate May Day during a rally in Casablanca. Morocco, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Akram Oubachir)Demonstrators rally near the National Mall during a May Day protest Friday, May 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)A protesters holds a fuel pump during the May Day demonstration in Rennes, western France, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo)Protester take part in a rally to mark May Day in Athens, on Friday, May 1, 2026 (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)Marine One with President Donald Trump aboard, departs from the South Lawn of the White House as demonstrators rally at the National Mall during a May Day protest Friday, May 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)Demonstrators chant slogans demanding greater labor rights during a May Day rally in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)Workers celebrate Labour Day in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Diomande Ble Blonde)People dance during a march marking International Workers’ Day at Jose Marti Anti-Imperialist Square in Havana, Cuba, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)Taiwanese workers take part in a May Day rally in Taipei, Taiwan, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)People stand under the Venetian Walls of city as they watch a gathering of Turkish and Greek Cypriots marking May Day inside the U.N. buffer zone at Ledra Palace hotel in the divided capital of Nicosia, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)Protesters shout slogans during a May Day rally in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)Demonstrators take part in an International Workers’ Day march marking May Day in Panama City, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)Members of trade unions and workers shout anti-government slogans during an International Labor Day march in New Delhi, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)Union members carefully step through rain-formed puddles to participate in a May Day rally in the rain Friday, May 1, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.
