Over 20,000 people took part in May Day protests in the Russian Urals city of Yekaterinburg.
The demonstration was organized by the regional federation of trade unions and representatives from the leading companies of the region took part. A column of people walked to the city's main square, where the protest took place.
"Labour is the most important human value. In Russian society today, there is much talk about how important it is to be successful. It is often forgotten that every success is reached through hard work. Financial well being and economic prosperity do not appear out of thin air," the governor of Sverdlovk region Alexander Misharin said at the meeting.
Protests are traditionally held in Russia and across Europe on May 1, and this year was no exception.
A stand off in Berlin between police, ultra-right and left-wing youth groups lasted for six hours after hundreds of members of radical nationalist movements were surrounded on all sides by left-wing protesters, preventing them from carrying out a planned march. Police officers arrived to prevent clashes between the two groups. The press service of the Berlin police said around 7,000 police men were on duty in the city on Saturday.
In France, over 300,000 people took part in demonstrations. The biggest protest took place in Paris where almost 45,000 people took part in a rally organized by the city's biggest trade union movements.
YEKATERINBURG May 1 (RIA Novosti)
