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AP PHOTOS: May Day protests around the world

Published: May 1, 2012 Comment on this article

Activists staged May Day demonstrations around the world Tuesday to recognize a day traditionally associated with labor and workers' rights.

Tear gas, vandalism and arrests marked some of the demonstrations, as protesters demanded everything from wage increases to an end to austerity measures.

photo - 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 Photo/Bullit Marquez)

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 Photo/Bullit Marquez)

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Article Gallery: AP PHOTOS: May Day protests around the world

In Santiago, Chile, police blasted demonstrators with water cannons, and in Bogota, Colombia, activists ran through a flooded street to escape tear gas fired by authorities. Demonstrators in the Philippines and Bolivia burned effigies of their countries' leaders.

In Oakland, Calif., protesters were hit with a stinging gas and clashed with police in the street. In New York, police in riot gear faced off against several dozen Occupy Wall Street activists in front of a Bank of America office. About 50 demonstrators rallied outside of another Bank of America branch in Chicago.