Luc MICHEL for PCN- INFO
with AFP – Correspondence in Moscow – lucmichel.net – PCN -SPO /
2014 05 01 / 
Putin’s Russia is probably the single most important political system in the world to benefit from the massive support of its population. More than 100,000 people marched on Red Square in Moscow for a patriotic May 1, taking up again the Soviet tradition. Restored Russia definitely pleases us more every day !
The Russian president, in power for 14 years, has seen its popularity explode. According to a survey released this week by the Levada Center (depending on the U.S. Carnegie Foundation), 82 % of Russians trust his action, against 64 % a year ago .
MOSCOW TAKES UP AGAIN SOVIET MAY 1st FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1991
“This day is for us a celebration of unity and this is why, this year in particular , there are so many people . Maybe the time has come to show that we are together and we work for the good of our planet “
– Marina , 48, Moscow ;
More than 100,000 people marched on Thursday in Red Square in Moscow for Labour Day , taking up again a tradition dating back to the Soviet Union on a wave of patriotism in Russia exacerbated by the Ukrainian crisis . “I am proud of my country “, ” Putin is right ” indicated placards brandished amidst many Russian flags and white , blue and red balloons, colors of the national flag.
According to local police , quoted by Russian news agencies , more than 100,000 people attended the parade, led by the mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin , and organized on the Red Square , at the foot of the Kremlin for the first time since 1991. Several placards and speeches of trade union representatives celebrated the annexation of Crimea to Russia in March , after a referendum on self -determination which we are proud to have contributed .
May 1st is International Workers Day , a public holiday in Russia and to celebrate the fight for better working conditions. Each year, the Russian trade unions march on that occasion in most cities of the country. According to the leader of the Federation of Trade Unions of Russia Mikhail Shmakov , quoted by the Interfax news agency , more than two million people have participated in parades across Russia to celebrate the ” International Workers Day ” , which takes its origin of workers struggles for the reduction of working time in the late 19th century in the United States.
This year, the symbolic return of the movement on the main square of the country, close to the Kremlin , was endorsed by the authorities as at the time of the USSR, when May 1 was the occasion of major military and civilian parades in front of the Soviet leaders . Taking up again the Soviet tradition of May 1, the Kremlin also gives a strong signal to the West …
… AND THE DEMONSTRATION OF MAY 1 IN SIMFEROPOL IN THE CRIMEA GATHERS MORE THAN 100 THOUSAND PEOPLE
For the presstitutes of NATO media, idiots or liars, who still dare to write as Libération that the Crimeans voted in the referendum of 16 March ” under duress or fear” (sic) , this 1 May brings a cruel denial . The May 1 demonstration in Simferopol gathered more than 100,000 people, as much as in Moscow for a population of two million people !
The May 1 demonstration in Simferopol, the first to be held under the Russian flag in the contemporary history of the Crimea, was attended by some 100,000 people. This is what the acting head of the republic, the man of the February revolution become Prime Minister of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov said on Thursday to journalists . In the opinion of the authorities of the region, such a mobilization of the inhabitants of Crimea is explained by a rise in feelings of patriotism, after the reunification of the peninsula with Russia.
As previously told RIA Novosti Deputy Mayor of Simferopol Ilya Glazkov , we initially expected about 15,000 protesters, but the actual turnout exceeded all expectations. Traditional parades of the 1st May in Crimea and Sevastopol ( autonomous City ) take place for the first time in the national colors of Russia.
MAY 1 OF DESILLUSION IN KIEV . WHERE ARE THOSE ‘CROWDS OF MAIDAN’ VAUNTED BY THE NATO MEDIA?
” In Kiev , people have hardly mobilized despite the severity of the crisis , the worst this country from the Soviet Union has ever known since its independence .
Only 2000 to 3000 people gathered in the quiet , chanting slogans in favor of the unity of Ukraine” said AFP.
Ruined , immersed in an atmosphere of civil war – and not only in the southeast, on Tuesday two rival fascist groups have clashed violently on the Maidan -, faced with unrealistic promises of the Kiev junta , in a land promised to outbreak , supporters of the Maidan are disillusioned . And this 1 May , which saw the junta unable to muster more than 3,000 protesters in a city of nearly 3 million people, the putschists of 21 February reveal their isolation!
In Slavyansk , epicenter of the insurgency, in contrast they were thousands and thousands ( in a small provincial town ) to demonstrate on 1 May against the junta in Kiev and the policy of misery of the IMF and Westerners. Listen to Euronews : “In Slavyansk , insurgent stronghold in eastern Ukraine, the 1 May was the occasion of celebrations. Also an opportunity for pro-Russians to reaffirm their opposition to the central government . Waving Soviet flags , they denounce what they call ” the junta of Kiev” , and are willing to participate in the referendum sought by the separatists . ” “Sure , I will participate in the referendum of May 11 and say ” yes “to the independence of the Republic of Donestk ” said one man . ” The program that Ukrainian President Turchinov requires of us from Kiev is not appropriate. With this kind of program, people only have to hang themselves. Everything becomes more expensive , “said a woman.
EVERYWHERE ELSEWHERE FROM PHNOM PENH TO ISTANBUL THE LABOUR DAY TURNS TO CONTEST THE SYSTEM
Elsewhere in the world , May 1 sees the contest of the Americanized liberal system, unfair and exploitative , and of the political systems that are associated with it. Millions of people would take to the streets on Thursday worldwide for Labour Day , in a context sometimes tense as in Phnom Penh or Istanbul where clashes opposed police and demonstrators.
In Istanbul, where Erdogan is putting in place every day an autocratic Islamist regime , the police dispersed in the early morning with water cannon and tear gas hundreds of protesters who tried to defy the ban on gathering on Taksim Square , the iconic site of protest against the Turkish government. Last year , violent clashes between the police and protesters took place around this square, launching a broad protest movement against the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused of Islamist and authoritarian drift . To cope with the crowds of demonstrators expected this year on either side of the Bosphorus, the Turkish authorities have blocked roads, suspended ferry services and closed metro stations .
In Asia contest appears everywhere. May 1 celebrations were also disrupted in Cambodia where unions had called for demonstrations in support of the textile workers strike in two special economic zones near the border with Vietnam. Most workers in this vital sector to the Cambodian economy , which employs 650,000 people , earn less than $ 100 per month. Armed police with batons and sticks dispersed the demonstrators gathered near the Freedom Park in Phnom Penh , closed to prevent access to opponents to Prime Minister Hun Sen, in power for 30 years. Several people were severely beaten , according to an AFP photographer .
In Kuala Lumpur , thousands of people marched to protest against a proposed new tax, but also against the conviction on appeal of Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on charges of sodomy and acquitted in 2012. Other demonstrations took place also in Indonesia , the Philippines but also in the countries with the most developed economies of Asia , Hong Kong , Singapore, Seoul and Taiwan, where more than 10,000 people marched in Taipei to demand wage increases.
In Europe , in contrast to the impressive popular support for President Putin, it is the general contest of the EU and its politicians sold to capital, international finance and multinational American domination. In the EU ( the EU is no more than a stateless symbol and especially not “Europe” as the NATO media say ), where many countries still face the social consequences of austerity policies, parades should take a political turn in less than a month before the European elections.
In France , unions once again celebrate May 1 scattered , thus confirming their divisions against the plan to save 50 billion euros announced by Prime Minister Manuel Valls . Spain, which comes out shyly from economic stagnation and remains plagued by record unemployment , also takes to the streets with demonstrations in Madrid and in more than 70 cities . Also parades in Greece and Italy that comes just out over two years of recession.
Happy Labour Day to all!
The fight continues. To victory!
Luc MICHEL