The pandemic has muted the marking of May Day, with celebrations of the world’s workers having to be balanced by safety considerations.
Social distancing was in evidence at many of the events although in some countries the stringent lockdown measures presented different challenges for protesters and police alike.
Arrests were made in Turkey, while the Guy Fawkes masks favoured at previous demonstrations had been superseded by medical masks in light of the threat to public health.
<img src="https://ireportnews.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/in-pictures-workers-of-the-world-mark-may-day-amid-covid-19-lockdown.jpg" alt="People play instruments on their balconies on Labour Day, in Zurich, Switzerland (Alexandra Wey/AP)“>People play instruments on their balconies on Labour Day, in Zurich, Switzerland (Alexandra Wey/AP)
<img src="https://ireportnews.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/in-pictures-workers-of-the-world-mark-may-day-amid-covid-19-lockdown-1.jpg" alt="Protesters practise social distancing during a May Day rally outside the Greek Parliament, in Athens (AP)“>Protesters practise social distancing during a May Day rally outside the Greek Parliament, in Athens (AP)
<img src="https://ireportnews.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/in-pictures-workers-of-the-world-mark-may-day-amid-covid-19-lockdown-2.jpg" alt="A protester holds the traditional Lily of the Valley flower during a banned May Day gathering in Marseille, southern France (Daniel Cole/PA)“>A protester holds the traditional Lily of the Valley flower during a banned May Day gathering in Marseille, southern France (Daniel Cole/PA)
<img src="https://ireportnews.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/in-pictures-workers-of-the-world-mark-may-day-amid-covid-19-lockdown-3.jpg" alt="Riot police stand guard as pro-democracy activists gather outside a shopping centre during Labour Day in Hong Kong (Kin Cheung/AP)“>Riot police stand guard as pro-democracy activists gather outside a shopping centre during Labour Day in Hong Kong (Kin Cheung/AP)
<img src="https://ireportnews.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/in-pictures-workers-of-the-world-mark-may-day-amid-covid-19-lockdown-4.jpg" alt="Turkish police officers walk on carnations left by demonstrators during May Day protests in Istanbul (Emrah Gurel/AP)“>Turkish police officers walk on carnations left by demonstrators during May Day protests in Istanbul (Emrah Gurel/AP)
<img src="https://ireportnews.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/in-pictures-workers-of-the-world-mark-may-day-amid-covid-19-lockdown-5.jpg" alt="Turkish police officers, wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus, arrest a demonstrator (Emrah Gurel/AP)“>Turkish police officers, wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus, arrest a demonstrator (Emrah Gurel/AP)
<img src="https://ireportnews.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/in-pictures-workers-of-the-world-mark-may-day-amid-covid-19-lockdown-6.jpg" alt="Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions make their point (Lee Jin-man/AP)“>Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions make their point (Lee Jin-man/AP)
<img src="https://ireportnews.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/in-pictures-workers-of-the-world-mark-may-day-amid-covid-19-lockdown-7.jpg" alt="A banner with the inscription ‘Solidarisch ist man nicht allein!’ (‘One is not alone in solidarity’) is placed in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin ahead of a May Day rally (Christoph Soeder/AP)“>A banner with the inscription ‘Solidarisch ist man nicht allein!’ (‘One is not alone in solidarity’) is placed in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin ahead of a May Day rally (Christoph Soeder/AP)
<img src="https://ireportnews.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/in-pictures-workers-of-the-world-mark-may-day-amid-covid-19-lockdown-8.jpg" alt="A masked protester from the communist party-affiliated PAME union holds a carnation during a May Day rally outside the Greek Parliament (Petros Giannakouris/AP)“>A masked protester from the communist party-affiliated PAME union holds a carnation during a May Day rally outside the Greek Parliament (Petros Giannakouris/AP)
<img src="https://ireportnews.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/in-pictures-workers-of-the-world-mark-may-day-amid-covid-19-lockdown-9.jpg" alt="Indonesian women sit among mannequins at the closed Tanah Abang textile market on a quiet Labour Day (Tatan Syuflana/AP)“>Indonesian women sit among mannequins at the closed Tanah Abang textile market on a quiet Labour Day (Tatan Syuflana/AP)
<img src="https://ireportnews.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/in-pictures-workers-of-the-world-mark-may-day-amid-covid-19-lockdown-10.jpg" alt="People protest during a May Day demonstration in Paris (Thibault Camus/AP)“>People protest during a May Day demonstration in Paris (Thibault Camus/AP)
