Amid talk of early elections and renewed summer social justice protests, demonstrators mark International Workers’ Day. Activists said Tuesday’s May Day rallies in Tel Aviv would be the first of many planned for the summer, as the social justice movement aims to make a comeback. Thousands activists from Hadash, the Communist Party of Israel, the Young Communist League and other leftist movements and social organizations marched through Tel Aviv to mark the May Day, wearing red shirts and waving red flags.

MK Dov Khenin during the May Day rally in Rabin Square, Tel-Aviv, May 1, 2012 (Photo: Hadash)

The demonstrators called-out chants that were common during the summer protests, including calls for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to resign. Speaking from a podium at Rabin Square, where the march ended Tuesday night, Hadash MK Dov Khenin spoke of how this year’s May 1st commemorations must signify the return of the summer protests. “The 1st of May this year must symbolize the beginning of the summer. We must return the spirit of the summer and the social protest.” He added that this summer, as opposed to the last, protests must translate into political change. “If we intend to bring about social justice then we have to bring political change. If we want social justice, we need a different government. They have already forgotten the social protest. We haven’t forgotten, and we won’t forget.”

Like MK Khenin, Labor MK and Histadrut labor federation leadership candidate Eitan Cabel used the opportunity to call for change in the Histadrut, which they said has forsaken the interests of workers. Hadash Chariman, MK Muhammad Barakeh, MK Ago Agbarie, MK Hanna Sweid and several members of CPI Central Committee took part in the rally. Communist young activist Alon-Lee Green said that this year’s May Day march brought together 82 different organizations looking to show that “the struggle isn’t about secular vs. haredi (ultra-Orthodox) or Jews vs. Arabs, it’s about everyone together trying to change the whole capitalist system.” Green said “if there is an atmosphere of social struggle around the elections it will be a great accomplishment.”

The march was met by a small counter-protest led by racist MK Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) and right-wing activist Baruch Marzel, who said they came because “these red flags are red because they were soaked in the blood of Jews and gentiles too, who were murdered through the history of communism.” A few scuffles broke out between the two sides but were quickly broken up, with police making one arrest among the Left demonstrators.

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                A large May Day demonstration in Tel Aviv

               Thousands demonstrated in Nazareth and Haifa to celebrate Mayday