Heartland

Not many people know why May Day became International Workers Day and why we should still celebrate it. It all began over a century ago when the American Federation of Labour adopted an historic resolution which asserted that "eight hours shall constitute a legal day's labour from and after May 1st, 1886".

In the months prior to this date workers in there thousands were drawn into the struggle for the shorter day. Skilled and unskilled, black and white, men and women, native and immigrant were all becoming involved.

etc

Mayday is traditionally a day of celebration (see resistance #1 for more info on the anarchist origins of mayday). Over the last two years people have begun the process of reclaiming Mayday as a day of celebration for all those struggling against capitalism and globalisation. In 1999 a tube party was held (see resistance #4) and last year a four day festival of anti-capitalist ideas and action (see resistance #14).

BLAST FROM THE PAST
Blast from the past is a regular column where we look at important events in working class history, often ignored or distorted by historians and bosses. As our rulers have kindly made the maximum working week 48 hours (unless we “volunteer� to do more) we look at an earlier struggle for shorter hours.

May Day for most people is a nice bank holiday break - a chance to get away from the city for the weekend with the kids or a lie in, in the morning. May Day began as a call by workers in America for shorter working hours.

The first Mayday actions took place in 1886 where mass strikes, meetings and demonstrations were held across America. In Chicago, the lock out of 1,500 workers at the McCormick Reaper Company turned up the heat on the actions. 80,000 people struck and picketed in Chicago alone

Hail of bullets

Two days later during one such picket police opened fire on the strikers who were stopping scabs crossing the picket line. As a result, 6 people were killed. A mass demonstration was called in response the next evening at the Haymarket. 200 cops arrived to disperse the gathering, but the protesters would not be moved. In the battle that ensued, a bomb was thrown at the lines of armed cops, killing one and fatally injuring others. 30 people died in a hail of police bullets.

Press hysteria

The press whipped up hysteria about the bombing and the police rounded up well known anarchists. As a result eight were brought to trial and despite there being no evidence to link them to the bombing the defendants were found guilty and four of them were executed, another only escaping hanging by blowing his own head off with a stick of dynamite!

As Albert Parsons said on the gallows: “The time will come when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you strangle today!�

Master Margarita wrote:It's May 1st tomorrow and I've just been sent an email at work telling me there will be the usual attempts by society's rejects to cause mayhem and disruption to the majority of the public working in the centre of London. With consequnt delays and inconveniences to transport etc. Not to mention the need to spend my (and YOUR) money on additional police and other related resources.

What do my fellow heartlanders think about this so called class war?

rian wrote:The people from "Reclaime the streets" here in Sweden made Stockholm look like a warzone yesterday. ****!

Dimehart wrote:

rian wrote:The people from "Reclaime the streets" here in Sweden made Stockholm look like a warzone yesterday. ****!

Yeah, I drove through Stockholm city this morning and it wasn't a pretty sight...

The Green Lantern wrote:

Dimehart wrote:

rian wrote:The people from "Reclaime the streets" here in Sweden made Stockholm look like a warzone yesterday. ****!

Yeah, I drove through Stockholm city this morning and it wasn't a pretty sight...

Thankfully Gamla Stan seems to have got off okay. Damned kids. Why don't they wreck some place that deserves it, like Borås?