Meanwhile, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia held its march with the purpose of demanding some real changes and not just promises. The Liberal Democrats protested against corruption among government officials.

“In the past, International Labour Day used to be like a holiday. Today it is a big protest action,” declared Dmitry Gudkov of the Fair Russia party, which has a socialist platform. The party was rallying against the increase in educational, medical payments, tariff rates.

Rallies have been held across the country. However, for most citizens, it is still a holiday devoid of politics.

“May 1 for me is a holiday when you can go for a walk around the city and feel the atmosphere, what’s happening and which events are taking place,” said one Moscow passerby.

During the Soviet era, Labor Day was a significant holiday to celebrate the solidarity of all workers across the world. It all started with a tragic incident at a factory in Chicago in 1886 when workers stopped working in order to demand an 8-hour workday, instead of a 15–hour shift. The strike ended in clashes with the police with more than a dozen killed.

In 1889, an international labor organization decided that workers should hold their demonstrations every year to have a chance to put forward their demands. In the Soviet Union the event was turned into a celebration instead to mark how happy the workers of the country were.

In the wake of the economic recession, workers worldwide are more eager to take to the streets to get their message across. Hundreds of thousands of workers have taken part in May Day demonstrations across Europe.

Although most rallies have had a peaceful character, in some European cities demonstrators were rather loud. Left-wing protestors clashed with the police in Berlin, the AP news agency reported.

In Athens, a rally of 17,000 left a trail of destruction, with smashed windows and broken marble. The protestors rioted against measures the Greek government is taking to tackle the country’s ongoing economic turmoil.