Ukraine marking May Day

KYIV, May 1, 2012 (UKRINFORM). The First of May is celebrated as the feast of international solidarity of working people in 142 countries of the world, including Ukraine. Its history started on May 1, 1886, when American workers staged a strike to demand an eight-hour workday. The event ended in bloodshed. In July 1889, the Paris Congress of the Second International, in memory of the Chicago workers' strike, decided to hold annual demonstrations on May 1. The first time this day was celebrated in 1890 in Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, USA, Norway, France, Sweden and some other countries.
According to Wikipedia, on May 1, 1990, the Soviet leadership and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union last time got to the rostrum of the Mausoleum to greet the official May Day demonstration. The Ukrainians traditionally use May 1 to hold rallies and demonstrations and put forward political demands.
 In Ukraine, May 1 and 2 are public holidays each year. Activities to celebrate the International Workers' Day are also planned in Kyiv today, in particular, by the party United Leftists and Peasants. The march Attack on Working People's Rights will be held in the capital city by independent trade unions and left-wing non-parliamentary organizations. Rallies to mark the International Workers' Day will also be held in many regions of Ukraine.