Euro MayDay 2005

international | worker & community struggles and protests | other press

Monday May 02, 2005 10:32

by :-)

photo links.

our holiday has been reclaimed.

and in ancient fashion we have invented a saint to go along with it.

photos from around the place:-

pray for us - Saint Precario, deliver us from evil, deliver us from capital, for its a miracle to make ends meet.

UK
London, they distributed discount tickets to several stores, and had a lot of police being horrible it seems. These are from Hackney east London where a Tesco was occupied and then London Fields a big green space-
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/05/310462.html
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/05/310443.html
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/05/310359.html
here are photos of the morning which really wasn't our mayday mayday gig, but there's a connection.
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/05/310408.html
Glasgow
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/05/310388.html

Netherlands-
they occupied the Sofitel hotel here's some pictures
http://indymedia.nl/nl/2005/05/27203.shtml
more photos later, I reckon they're all asleep.

France
Liege- with the banner in english "we are the new class" over 500 euromayday young pensioners went walking-
http://liege.indymedia.org/news/2005/05/4278.php
Paris- focussed on hunger strikes. The Parisien photos don't let you forget that people starve and die on the street-
http://paris.indymedia.org/article.php3?id_article=36183

Italy, even managed to get a big banner of Saint Precario together and carry it through the street-
http://italy.indymedia.org/news/2005/05/783471.php
http://italy.peacelink.org/gallerie/67/
and 120 photos of Milan here
http://www.sconfini.net/ (click on the Euro mayday logo)
Palermo:-
http://italy.indymedia.org/news/2005/05/783475.php
Naples, saint Precario's banner took pride of place next to the stage-
http://italy.indymedia.org/news/2005/05/783440.php

Barcelona-
great day.
http://barcelona.indymedia.org/newswire/display/174885/index.php
http://barcelona.indymedia.org/newswire/display/174975/index.php
http://barcelona.indymedia.org/newswire/display/174926/index.php
The CNT got their van confiscated and 7 people arrested for graffiti, 1500eu bail was placed. Suppose it was traditional- photos of their van and the graffiti they were blamed for
http://barcelona.indymedia.org/newswire/display/174921/index.php
our police presence was sort of polite and bikes -
http://barcelona.indymedia.org/newswire/display/174803/index.php
http://barcelona.indymedia.org/newswire/display/174930/index.php
last photo here for gaeigoir graffiti lovers-
http://barcelona.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/174912

My favourite bunch of walkers was the boat filled with kids which transported the virgin mary and her monks and sisters of the order of Saint Precario to the cathedral, handing out little prayer leaflets.

I walked happily with my favourite dog (of all the dogs I know though not mine, my friend's) who is a sort of red setter, and barked all the way, "woof woof woof!"

There is nothing wrong with inventing saints by the way, it is very traditional, many saints did not exist, and rather are representations of troubles, woes, faced by the community and the power of intercession. If you read the St. Precario prayer, you aren't actually praying "to him/her" you are using Precario as a symbolic intercessionary character to so that Holy God an his blessed mammy will hear your plea, and help you make ends meet and pay the rent.
Precario is superior in many ways to a lot of saints others use, in that we know he/she didn't exist, rather like St Jordi/George/Jorge, Precario gets a good story, got the cathedrals of Europe's consumerism for the day, and will no doubt support a big market soon enough in religious trinketry. you can help. Write your letters attesting to the intercessionary power of St. Precarious to your local bishop and telly station. Describe his/her miracles.

We're going to do it all over again next year.