Source : NEW INDIAN EXPRESS NEWS
TOKYO: From Tokyo to Taipei to Manila, people across Asia marked May Day with marches and protests that spotlighted growing unease over U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies and fears of global economic instability.
The holiday, also known as International Workers’ Day or Labor Day, honors the struggles and achievements of workers and the labor movement. Rallies are expected across the United States as well, including in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia.
Across multiple countries, Trump’s agenda was cited as a source of concern. In the United States, organizers said their message this year focused on fighting Trump’s approach targeting immigrants, federal workers and diversity initiatives.
In Taiwan, President Lai Ching-te referenced new U.S. tariffs under Trump as he promoted a proposed spending bill aimed at stabilizing the job market and supporting livelihoods. In the Philippines, protest leader Mong Palatino warned that “tariff wars and policies of Trump” threatened local industries.
In Japan, some said his policies hung over the day like a shadow, with one truck in the Tokyo march featuring a doll that resembled Trump. There, participants’ demands ranged from higher wages and gender equality to health care, disaster relief, a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“For our children to be able to live with hope, the rights of workers must be recognized,” said Junko Kuramochi, a member of a mothers’ group in Tokyo.
Tadashi Ito, a union construction worker, said he worried about rising prices for imported raw materials.
“Everybody is fighting over work and so the contracts tend to go where the wages are cheapest,” he said. “We think peace comes first. And we hope Trump will eradicate conflict and inequalities.”
SOURCE :- NEW INDIAN EXPRESS
