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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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For one day, workers ruled the world's biggest streets. Thousands strong marched Wednesday to mark May Day, the first day of the month when workers' rights are celebrated in demonstrations around the globe. From Seoul to Paris, Istanbul to Berlin, they drew attention to stagnant wages and the high cost of living as they took aim at their governments. In some cases, their governments returned fire. In Turkey, police in riot gear shot rubber bullets and tear gas at thousands of protesters who clashed with officers as they tried to break through a barricade and reach Istanbul's Taksim square in defiance of a ban. Union members clash with Turkish anti-riot police as they march during Labor Day celebrations in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) A protester cries after seeing other protesters being detained during the May Day demonstration, Wednesday, May 1, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla) Tear gas also rose from the streets of Paris, where workers seeking higher pay and better conditions were joined by others rankled by the upcoming Summer Games. They torched replica Olympic rings. Standing out in the crowds were the many messages held high on banners or scrawled in pen on simple signs. "We work to live!!! Not to die!!!" read the sign held by a man in Manila, Philippines. "The rich want war — the youth want a future," a banner said in Berlin. "Don't touch the eight-hour workday!" warned a placard in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Thousands of protesters in Seoul sang, waved flags and shouted pro-worker slogans as they stepped up criticism of President Yoon Suk Yeol's conservative government and its anti-labor policies. Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions gather to attend a rally on May Day in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) "The lives of our laborers have plunged into despair," said Yang Kyung-soo, leader of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. "We can't overlook the Yoon Suk Yeol government. We'll bring them down from power for ourselves." In Jakarta, Indonesia, marchers carried banners and wore slogans on their hats protesting a 2020 law that they said harms worker rights and the environment. Metal workers carried bright red flags and wore darker red headscarves. Others dressed as mimes with frowns painted on their faces. In Beirut, pro-Palestinian marchers mixed with workers demanding an end to economic misery. Young women supporters of the Lebanese Communist party posed for selfies and flashed victory signs. Most will return to their jobs Thursday. Anti-government protesters try to get past riot police blocking their path to the Palace of Justice during a demonstration marking International Workers' Day, in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) Members of National People's Power, a political alliance, carry placards at a Labour Day rally in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) People take part in the revolutionary May Day demonstration in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) Policemen try to block activists as they try to march towards the U.S. Embassy during a protest to mark International Labor Day, in Manila, Philippines, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe) An artist unpacks a giant puppet head depicting President Javier Milei to take to the International Workers' Day march in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) Supporters of the Lebanese Communist party take a selfie, as they march during a demonstration to mark International Labor Day, in Beirut, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions shout slogans during a rally on May Day in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) Workers march during a May Day rally in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Protesters carry balloons to a march on International Workers' Day in Santiago, Chile, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Basualdo) Female workers take part in a May Day rally, marking International Labour Day in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary) A mannequin head is marked with words related to government-proposed reforms, during the International Workers' Day march in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara) Participants march after a May Day rally in Tokyo, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae) Protesters bur representations of the Olympic rings, alongside a Palestinian flag, during a May Day demonstration in Paris, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla) Government supporters rally marking International Workers Day, in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jesus Vargas) Taiwanese workers hold banners reading "Congress amended the law to support workers' rights" and ''The regime has no honeymoon'', during a May Day rally in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying) Union workers' shadows are cast on the pavement as they march with flags on International Workers' Day in Asuncion, Paraguay, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz) A couple kisses at the end of the revolutionary May Day demonstration in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)