May Day – International Day for the solidarity of the working class

Posted on April 27, 2011 by vannamboodiri

The working class all over the world will be celebrating the May Day as the International day of solidarity. Rallies and meetings will be held and the Chicago Martyrs , August Spies, George Engel, Albert Parsons and Adolph Fischer who were hanged for fighting for rights of the workers and the eight-hour working day, will be remembered and paid homage.
It was 4th May 1886. The busy Hay Market Square in Chicago was fully packed with more than 2500 workers who had come to hear their leaders protesting against police firing and killing the workers who were on strike in the Mac-Cormick Reaper Plant. The strike was for demands including eight hours work.
While the leaders including August Spies, Albert Parsons were speaking a formation of armed policemen attacked the crowd. During the same time, a dynamite bomb was thrown by unknown people killing one policeman. It might have been the deliberate act on the part of the police itself to get provoked and justifying firing on the workers. The police fired killing four and wounding many. Some policemen also died in the melee.
The Government reacted in a pre-meditated manner. The attack on the workers increased. Meetings and speeches were banned. Hundreds of workers were arrested and kept in custody. Terror was let loose.
Eight leaders of the workers were brought to trial which continued for months together. As can be understood, the trial was a farce. Justice became a mockery. False evidences were produced. The accused were found guilty and ordered to be hanged.
Not only in America, but all over the world, the working class protested against the sentences. Protest Marches were organised in several cities. Appeal made to the Supreme Court against the punishment was rejected.
One of the accused, Louis Ligg was found killed by a dynamite in his cell, one day before the hanging, which has not been explained so far. The other four – Spies, Angels, Parsons and Fischer were executed by hanging on 11th November 1886 all in a row.
The entire country rose in protest against this brutal murder of the workers. Chicago saw the biggest funeral march ever on 13th November 1887 with thousands of workers moving along with the bodies of the martyrs to the cemetery vault.
The other three accused were pardoned by the Governor after the farce of the trial was exposed and there was outcry from the people against the brutal sentences.
The last words of August Spies, seconds before the hangings will echo through eternity: ” There will come a time when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you strangle today.” True indeed!
Later, 1st May was decided to be observed as the International Workers’ Day. For more than hundred years the workers all over the world are celebrating May Day holding rallies, meetings etc. and remembering the Chicago Martyrs.
This year, when the working class celebrate the May Day, they are facing attacks after attacks by the employers and also by the Government which is pushing through the neo-liberal policies against the interest of the workers. Intolerable price rise, mounting unemployment, increased working hours, vanishing social security measures, privatisation, high level corruption etc. have put more and more misery on the people. Let us pledge on this May Day to unitedly fight to protect the interests of the toiling masses and the common people.