May Day this year in Spain was not built as a special mobilisation against austerity, poverty and unemployment, and did not coincide with a general strike. Despite that, this was not a ritualistic May Day.
Crowds were well up on previous May Days, especially in Barcelona where 170,000 marched in the main action. This was organised by the two main confederations, the Workers Commissions and General Union of Labour) against austerity and attacks on public services but also featured protest against the rejection by the Spanish government and judiciary of the Catalan national right to self-determination.
Crowds were also up in the main regional centres of Catalonia—Girona, Tarragona and Lleida.
In Madrid, due to a freezing, rainy day, the crowd was smaller than in the past. However, in other centres in the Spanish state—there were May Day marches in 80 cities and towns—the turnout was strong.
Alternative marches, organised by the anarchist General Confederation of Labour (CGT) and other forces also drew thousands, especially in Catalan centres.
May Day in Portugal mobilised tens of thousands in 50 centres, with large turnouts in Lisbon and Oporto. According to Armenio Carlos, national secretary of the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers, this May Day was “one of the biggest of all times”. The day was portrayed as a prelude to a May 30 Portuguese national day of action against the austerity policies of the European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund (the “troika”).