INTERNATIONAL WORKER'S DAY
Carles Oliva
The 1st of May is a national public holiday in most countries, and it is known as the International Worker's Day.
The origin of this day is the Haymarket affair that took place in 1886 in Chicago. That year a massive strike for the eight hour workday took place. It started the 1st of May and, in Chicago, continued until the 3rd of May.
The 4th of May there was an assembly in the Haymarket park to protest against the brutal repression of the strike done by the police. During the assembly the police charge against the workers and an explosive device killed one police and injured several. This was followed by shoots from the police to the civilian population and ended in several deaths. Thirty one people were arrested accused of the explosive device. The following trial was a joke, full of irregularities, and five people were condemned to dead and hanged.
In 1889, in Paris, took place the first meeting of the congress of the Second International. During this meeting, Raymond Lavigne called for international commemoration of the events of the 1st of May in Chicago. It wasn't until the second congress of the International, in Paris 1891, that the 1st of May was recognized as an annual event.