Hundreds of protesters took to the Downtown Gainesville Square and Jesse Jewell Parkway on Thursday in honor of May Day, or International Workers’ Day.
International Workers’ Day is celebrated every May 1 to commemorate the historic struggles and gains by workers and the labor movement according to Brittannica. The day was designated in 1889 to commemorate the Haymarket Affair of 1886.
The protest was organized by the Gainesville-based grassroots organization, the Rainbow Collective; Indivisible Hall and Indivisible Lumpkin. They took to the Square at around 6 p.m. before marching to Jesse Jewell Parkway at around 6:30 p.m. with signs and chants.
Many of the protesters said they were protesting the Trump Administration and Elon Musk in the wake of what they said were mass federal firings and deportations.
The protest in Gainesville was one of nine listed across Georgia from Savannah up to Rome.
Matéo Penado is an organizer with the Rainbow Collective in Gainesville, and said to the crowd that the day was born out of struggle and sacrifice from working people.
“The fight is still happening. Here in Gainesville, across Georgia, across the United States and across the world,” Penado said. “You cannot talk about labor rights without talking about immigrant rights. You cannot talk about immigrant rights without talking about the struggle of queer and trans people.”
Jim Robison was also an organizer of the protest with Indivisible Hall and said he was protesting for the American tradition of freedom.
“We are protesting because we see the Constitution being destroyed and we’re concerned about civil liberties and the American tradition of freedom and deserting our allies and destroying our economy,” Robison said.
He said that progress was a result of long-term protests.
“The progress made in the labor movement was the result of long-term protest,” Robison said. “It didn’t come easily and so now all of a sudden we have an immediate and urgent need for protest that links in with the labor movement.”
The protesters began chanting “Hey-hey, ho-ho, Donald Trump has got to go,” which was a common theme for the group.
“[They’re] hindering workers’ rights by firing people from the federal government for no real reason, they are marching into our communities and arbitrarily arresting people without due process,” one anonymous protester said.
Nathaniel, another protester, said he was there to protest rights being under attack regardless of who is in office.
“For me it’s for more so the war machine and free speech is under attack,” Nathaniel said. “Every president that gets into office, our rights are getting more and more under attack.”
“Workers are always under attack no matter which regime is in office,” he added.
Much of the crowd was older, with one adding they were a long-time teacher.
“I’m so concerned about our democracy and the empathy for other people,” she said. “I’m also here because I was a teacher for 35 years … We don’t have a teachers’ union in the south.”
There were no counter protesters, but Ashley and a group of protesters near Johnny’s New York Style Pizza on Jesse Jewell were talking to two dissenters.
“We are protesting just human rights at this point, for women, for immigrants, for Latinos, anyone and everyone for the people,” Ashley said. “There have been thousands and thousands of people being laid off from their jobs … people are struggling to survive for their basic needs at this point.”
The protest mostly wrapped up before the sun set and saw hundreds of people spanned across Jesse Jewell Parkway from near Main Street to Henry Ward Way.
“When we stand united, when we speak at once, and when we demand our rights with integrity and honor, we cannot and will not be ignored,” an organizer said before the march to Jesse Jewell Parkway.
