SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Around a dozen demonstrations happened around the Bay Area Wednesday in honor of May Day.
The annual protests always on May 1, trace their roots back to the labor movement of the late 1800s.
“Solidarity with all worker struggles. Then in solidarity with immigrant workers and the right to be here,” said Bertha Hernandez of May 1 Coalition of San Francisco.
SKY7 video shows hundreds gathering at 24th Street Mission BART station before marching down to city hall in the morning.
The San Francisco May Day demonstration marched to City Hall from the 24th Street Mission BART Plaza.
People calling for greater rights and protections for working class people amid growing struggles.
“May Day 2024 is a struggle for survival for workers, and especially with AI and robotics. Because the plan is to get rid of large numbers of workers,” said Steve Zeltzer of the United Front Committee for a Labor Party.
This year’s demonstrations also merging with pro-Palestinian protests too.
At another rally outside San Francisco’s Ferry Building in the afternoon, activists calling for an end to war in Gaza and U.S. support for Israel.
“The money that is going to support the genocide in Palestine is yours and my tax money,” said protester Cristina Gutierrez.
MORE: Police arrive at UCLA after violent clashes break out amid dueling demonstrations; classes canceled
Many protesters specifically telling us they believe that money would be better spent tackling problems here at home.
“People are homeless in San Francisco. They can’t get healthcare. Why isn’t the money being spent here?” said Zeltzer.
Different protests are expected to continue throughout the day Wednesday.
Workers here say they hope that helps to spread their message.
“There hasn’t been a general strike in the United States since 1946 in Oakland. It’s time for another general strike. Because that unites the entire working class, and that’s when all workers can join unions,” said Zeltzer
Will protests impact you?
This year, May Day’s port shutdown comes just weeks after pro-Palestinian protesters shut down the Golden Gate Bridge and Interstate 880. And it comes as hundreds of college students have taken to their campuses to protest the situation in Gaza.
“Nobody knows and of course the protesters don’t want anyone to know where they are going to be and what they are going to do. Law enforcement is geared up, I think in a pretty major responsive effort to keep highways and bridges open,” says professor Rory Little of UC Law San Francisco.
Little says there is much more acceptance of protests in the Bay Area, many here protested themselves in the 60s and 70s. However, he believes the recent bridge and highway shutdowns by pro-Palestinian protesters angered many people.
ABC7 News has reached out to San Francisco police and Oakland police to see if they are preparing for May Day with extra officers but did not hear back from either department. Be aware that your commute could be affected if there is another highway protest.
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