Enjoy #MayDay however you celebrate - remember how you gained the right to have a #PublicHoliday May Days roots are in the fight for workers rights and it has long been a focus for #protest. As such, it is – in the words of Eric Hobsbawm – the only unquestionable dent made by a secular movement in the Christian or any other official calendar. And its past is more rowdy than is suggested by the imagery of Morris dancers serenely waving hankies and bells around. Over one hundred years have passed since the first May Day. In the earlier part of the 20th century, the British & US government have tried to curb the celebration and further wipe it from the publics memory .... In Britain the Conservatives under David Cameron are seeking to erase our May Day. History has a lot to teach us about the roots of our #radicalism. When we remember that people were shot so we could have the 8-hour day; if we acknowledge that homes with families in them were burned to the ground so we could have Saturday as part of the weekend; when we recall 8-year old victims of industrial accidents who marched in the streets protesting working conditions and child labor only to be beat down by the police and company thugs, we understand that our current condition cannot be taken for granted - people fought for the rights and dignities we enjoy today, and there is still a lot more to fight for. The sacrifices of so many people can not be forgotten or well end up fighting for those same gains all over again. This is why we celebrate May Day !
Posted on: Mon, 05 May 2014 07:23:25 +0000
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