MADRID (AP) -- On the front lines of the world's May Day protests this year, along with the traditional chants, banners and marches, a gamut of emotions flowed through the crowds: Anger. Fear. Elation. Despair.
With Europe's unemployed denouncing austerity measures, Asia's laborers demanding higher salaries and U.S. protesters condemning Wall Street, Tuesday's demonstrations by hundreds of thousands were less a celebration of workers' rights than a furious venting over spending cuts, tax hikes and soaring unemployment.
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A protester gets sprayed by a water canon during a May Day march in Santiago, Chile, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. Clashes with security forces and riots marred the rally to mark International Labor Day. AP / Luis Hidalgo
A police lieutenant swings his baton at an Occupy Wall Street activists on Tuesday, May 1, 2012 in New York. AP / Mary Altaffer
Police officers arrest a demonstrator during an un-permitted march, Tuesday, May 1, 2012 in New York. AP / Mary Altaffer
Portland police move in to make arrests during a May Day march and protest in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Don Ryan
A protester smashes a window at a Wells Fargo branch during a May Day rally on Tuesday, May 1, 2012 in downtown Seattle. Mayor Mike McGinn says he's making an emergency declaration allowing police to confiscate items that can be used as weapons following violent May Day protests that left storefronts and car windows shattered. Seattlepi.com / Joshua Trujillo
Protesters break windows on downtown businesses including American Apparel and NikeTown during a May Day rally on Tuesday, May 1, 2012 in downtown Seattle. About two dozen of the hundreds of protesters that participated in the march shattered windows and caused mayhem in Seattle. Seattlepi.com / Joshua Trujillo
Demonstrators hide behind a makeshift shield as they clash with police during May Day protests demanding everything from wage increasers to an end to austerity measures Tuesday, May 1, 2012 in Oakland, Calif. AP / Marcio Jose Sanchez
Demonstrators clash with police during May Day protests demanding everything from wage increases to an end to austerity measures, Tuesday, May 1, 2012 in Oakland, Calif. AP / Marcio Jose Sanchez
A demonstrator is arrested during May Day protests demanding everything from wage increases to an end to austerity measures Tuesday, May 1, 2012 in Oakland, Calif. AP / Marcio Jose Sanchez
Police confront demonstrators during May Day protests on Tuesday, May 1, 2012 in Oakland, Calif. Hundreds of activists across the U.S. joined the worldwide May Day protests on Tuesday, with Occupy Wall Street members in several cities leading demonstrations and in some cases clashing with police. AP / Marcio Jose Sanchez
Approximately 50 activists participated in one of scores May Day protest across the U.S. This group gathered on Crocker Park, in Sacramento, Calif. and marched and stopped to protest at bank buildings along Capitol Mall. The Sacramento Bee / Manny Crisostomo
Protesters from the 'Occupy London' movement, bottom, gather during a rally to mark May Day in central London, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Lefteris Pitarakis
An 'Occupy London'' protester hands out flowers to mark May Day, to commuters in a central London train station, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Lefteris Pitarakis
Demonstrators run on a bridge in Paris, during the traditional May Day march, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. Tens of thousands of workers, leftists and union leaders around France are marking May Day with marches and rallies, in an ambiance of optimism ahead of presidential elections Sunday that a Socialist is expected to win. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani) AP / Laurent Cipriani
Demonstrators walk in the streets of Paris, during the traditional May Day march, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. Tens of thousands of workers, leftists and union leaders around France are marking May Day with marches and rallies, in an ambiance of optimism ahead of presidential elections Sunday that a Socialist is expected to win. AP / Laurent Cipriani
German riot pocie officers stand behind burning garbage cans during a rally to mark May Day in Berlin's Kreuzberg district, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Markus Schreiber
People look towards broken windows after a left-wing demonstration in Berlin's Kreuzberg district to mark May Day on Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Maja Hitij
People take part on a protest during the May Day rally in the center of Madrid, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. Tens of thousands of workers marked May Day in European cities Tuesday with a mix of anger and gloom over austerity measures imposed by leaders trying to contain the eurozone's intractable debt crisis.Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is trying desperately to cut a bloated deficit, restore investor confidence in Spain's public finances, lower the 24.4 jobless rate, and fend off fears it will join Greece, Ireland and Portugal in needing a bailout. AP / Daniel Ochoa de Olza
Members of the Tunisian General Labour Union, UGTT, demonstrate to mark International Worker's Day, or May Day, in Tunis Tuesday, May, 1, 2012 AP / Hassene Dridi
A Communist supporter holds a portrait of Vladimir Lenin and a Soviet navy flag as she takes part in a May Day rally in Sevastopol, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Andrew Lubimov
Left wing activists shout slogans during a rally marking May Day in downtown Kiev, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. May Day, a holiday that was of great importance in the Soviet era is still marked with demonstrations in cities nationwide. AP / Sergei Chuzavkov
Russian nationalists hold a giant old Russian empire's black-yellow-white flag as they march during a rally to mark May Day in St.Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Dmitry Lovetsky
A group of Russian nationalists carry old Russian Empire flags and their party's flags during a rally to mark May Day, with the Kremlin at the background in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. The poster reads: 'Russians'. AP / Mikhail Metzel
Kashmiri laborers work at a stone quarry on the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. May Day moved beyond its roots as an international workers' holiday to a day of international protest Tuesday, with rallies throughout Asia demanding wage increases and marches planned across Europe over government-imposed austerity measures. AP / Mukhtar Khan
Workers take out baked bricks from the oven at a brick kiln on May Day on the outskirts of Amritsar, India, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Altaf Qadri
A Bangladeshi veiled woman participates in a march to celebrate May Day in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Pavel Rahman
A Bangladeshi garment worker participates in a rally to mark May Day in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Pavel Rahman
Activists from various trade unions affiliated to the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) listen to a leader speak during a rally to mark May Day in Katmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Niranjan Shrestha
Activists of Sri Lanka's Marxist political party, People's Liberation Front carry posters of Che Guevara during a street march to celebrate international Labor Day known as May Day in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Gemunu Amarasinghe
An activist of Sri Lanka's Marxist political party, People's Liberation Front, drinks water from a bottle as a billboard of Communist leaders from left, Vladimir Lenin, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels is displayed in the background during a street march to celebrate international Labor Day known as May Day in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Gemunu Amarasinghe
Supporters of Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa cheer while carrying his posters during a May Day rally in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Eranga Jayawardena
Supporters of the Iraqi Communist Party take part in the May Day march, in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Hadi Mizban
Rafah, Gaza Strip - Palestinian volunteers clean the streets to mark 'International Workers' Day' (May Day) in Rafah, Gaza Strip. ZUMA24.com / Eyad Al Baba
Pakistani day laborers work in a field in Islamabad, Pakistan on Tuesday, May 1, 2012. May Day is being marked across the world Tuesday. AP / B.K. Bangash
Pakistani women shout slogans, during a protest calling for better wages, on May Day, in Lahore, Pakistan, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / K.M. Chaudary
Pakistani workers shout slogans during a rally to mark May Day, in Lahore, Pakistan, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / K.M. Chaudary
Pakistani Ghull Mohammed, 69, breaks coal as part of his daily work in a brick factory, during May Day, on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. May Day is being marked across the world Tuesday. AP / Muhammed Muheisen
Turkish students chained themselves to protest against the jailing of several hundred students in Turkey as thousands of people gathered for a May Day rally in Turkish capital, Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Burhan Ozbilici
People hold a placard that reads " You cannot believe in God and money at the same time" as thousands of people gather at the Taksim Square for a May Day rally in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP /
Protesters burn an effigy of Philippine President Benigno Aquino III during a rally near the Presidential Palace in Manila to celebrate international Labor Day known as May Day Tuesday May 1, 2012 in the Philippines. Thousands of workers marched under a brutal sun in Manila to demand a wage increase amid an onslaught of oil price increases, but the Philippine President rejected a $3 daily pay hike which the workers have been demanding since 1999 and warned may worsen inflation, spark layoffs and turn away foreign investors. AP / Bullit Marquez
Indonesian workers shout slogans during a rally to mark May Day in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. Thousands of Indonesian workers staged the rally demanding the government to raise minimum wage and reject outsourcing. AP / Dita Alangkara
A woman struggles with her recycle cart as thousands of anti-government protesters pass by demanding higher wages and better treatment during a May Day march in downtown Taipei, Taiwan, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Wally Santana
A North Korean girl picks up petals in Pyongyang, North Korea on May Day Tuesday, May 1, 2012. North Korean families flocked to parks, playgrounds and plazas to enjoy the May Day holiday with picnics, cultural events and games. AP / Kim Kwang Hyon
A young visitor walks near Chinese national flags in Shanghai, China, on May Day Tuesday, May 1, 2012. Tens of thousands of Chinese flock to parks and tourist spots to enjoy the May Day holiday. AP / Eugene Hoshiko
Members of the Communist party march during May Day celebrations in Asuncion, Paraguay, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Jorge Saenz
People gather for a May Day march in Revolution Square in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Javier Galeano
People gather for a May Day march in Revolution Square in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Javier Galeano
A child holds up a Cuban flag during a May Day march in Revolution Square in Havana, Cuba, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Franklin Reyes
A worker, known in Guatemala as "cargadores," or "loaders," carries a sack of vegetables in La Terminal market during International Workers Day in Guatemala City, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Rodrigo Abd
People sing during a gospel music show, organized by the workers' union, to celebrate Workers' Day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Victor R. Caivano
A protester runs past a burning barricade to escape from police during a May Day march in Santiago, Chile, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. Riots marred the rally to mark International Labor Day. AP / Luis Hidalgo
A protester confronts police after a May Day march ended with clashes in Santiago, Chile, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. Clashes with security forces and riots marred the rally that marks International Labor Day. AP / Luis Hidalgo
Protesters run through a flooded street from tear gas fired by police after a May Day march ended in clashes in downtown Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Fernando Vergara
Protesters run from tear gas fired by riot police after a May Day march ended in clashes in downtown Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, May 1, 2012. AP / Fernando Vergara
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