May Day Celebrations Feature Marches, Protests, And A Concert

Serbian police arrested two participants in a May Day protest who they say verbally attacked Labor Minister Zoran Djordjevic.

May Day celebrations in several countries in the Western Balkans, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe featured marches, protests, and a concert.

In Moldova, a May Day march was held by the main opposition Socialist Party. The marchers convened on the parliament building, where President Igor Dodon joined them.

The event took place under the slogan "For Responsible Governance and Social Equity."

In Kosovo, hundreds of people took to the streets of the capital, Pristina, to mark International Workers' Day.

The May 1 march was organized by the United Workers' Union of Kosovo. It is demanding that the minimum wage in the country be raised to 250 euros per month and workers be given better access to health care. The union also wants safer workplaces.

A May Day art installation titled Martyrs Of Buildings used hard hats and chalk outlines of bodies to draw attention to the risks that construction workers face in Kosovo.

In Serbia, tempers flared at a May Day march in the capital, Belgrade, when two protesters tried to approach the country's labor minister.

Police said they arrested two workers' rights activists for verbally attacking Zoran Djordjevic.

The activists allegedly shouted "Djordjevic, thief," and demanded to know the minister's salary.

In Kazakhstan, May 1 was marked by a special concert in the capital, Astana, featuring some 500 musicians playing the dombra. The dombra is Kazakhstan’s national instrument and is similar to the lute.

The huge dobra orchestra included both amateur and professional musicians and was led by famous Kazakh conductor Nurlan Bekenov.

The open-air concert was held by the Bayterek Tower, a monument and observation tower that is popular with tourists in Astana.