The first Mayday march, led by anarchist International Working Peoples’ Association activists Albert and Lucy Parsons and their children, took place down Michigan Avenue in Chicago on 1st May 1886 as part of the strike campaign for an eight hour working day.
On 4th May Albert Parsons spoke at the famous Haymarket rally, called to protest against 
police violence during that series of strikes, which ended in another police riot, killing and injuring scores of people. As a result eight anarchist trade unionists were charged with conspiracy to commit murder, four being hanged, one taking his own life, and three imprisoned – before being pardoned a few years later.
This gross miscarriage of justice was commemorated in 1890 by the first official Mayday parades, held all over the world and attended by millions of working people. On Sunday 28th April Duncan McCabe, of the Free University Dundee, will discuss those events and their impact on the wider anarchist and trade union movements in a talk in Aberdeen. The event will start at 6pm in the Belmont Cinema complex. https://www.facebook.com/events/111358775701227/
Before then you can join the nameless anarchist horde at the Tin Roof Collective, Bellfield
St, Dundee in Making for Mayday from 6pm on Wednesday 24th April. Banners, puppets and other arty stuff waiting to be given those vital finishing touches. https://www.facebook.com/events/151449828363904/
Mayday 2013 in Dundee takes place on Saturday 4th and starts at Hilltown Park at 11am with the march heading down the Hill to a rally in Albert Square. https://www.facebook.com/events/348198555301703/
On the Sunday, 5th May, the Anarchist Federation in Dundee are holding a retrospective look at Margaret Thatcher and her political legacy. This discussion starts at 2pm in the Deaf Hub, Brown Street: https://www.facebook.com/events/106530466215194/.
As the Iron Lady didn’t say, “Where there is Conflict let us build Community. Where there is Competition let us bring Co-operation.”
