Protests against Arizona immigration law go nationwide

(News Terupdate) - Thousands of protesters in cities across the United States waved American flags as they rallied Saturday against Arizona's tough new immigration law and pushed for national immigration reform.

"Si se puede," "Yes we can" and "Boycott Arizona" were common refrains for groups protesting from Los Angeles, California, to New York City.

May 1 is traditionally a rallying day for supporters of immigration reform. But protesters across the country said they were galvanized by Arizona's recent passage of a law cracking down on illegal immigration.

The new Arizona law requires immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires police to question people if there is reason to suspect they are in the United States illegally. Critics say it will lead to discrimination and racial profiling.

But Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has said the law is necessary because the federal government has failed to enforce border security with Mexico, allowing hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to move into the state. She said changes to the law she approved Friday, which clarify that police could only stop suspected illegal immigrants while enforcing some other law or ordinance, should eliminate concerns about racial profiling.

But criticism of the law was clear among tens of thousands of protesters flooding the streets of Los Angeles on Saturday, where organizers said they hoped to send a strong message with the number of people turning out.

"Does my face look illegal?" one sign read.

Karen Rayner, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department, said 50,000 people marched at the demonstration's peak. Rayner said the rally was "very peaceful" and no one was arrested.

Police arrested about 20 protesters -- including a U.S. congressman -- at Saturday's rally in Washington.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Illinois, was among a group of protesters who were arrested for blocking the sidewalk outside the White House in what they said was a planned act of civil disobedience. The protesters wore T-shirts that read "ARREST ME NOT MY FAMILY" and "ARREST ME NOT MY FRIENDS."

A smaller group of about 200 people rallied outside the State Capitol in Phoenix, protesting the new law and asking the federal government to step in to stop it.

About 1,000 people gathered in New York City's Union Square on Saturday afternoon.

Cesar Mack, an international studies student at City College of New York, told CNN he was an undocumented immigrant from Peru.

"I've been living in this country six years and I'm still fighting for immigration reform," he said.

CNN iReporter Julio Ortiz-Teissonniere said he saw signs in Arabic, French, Spanish and English at the New York rally. One sign in the crowd particularly caught his eye: "Todos somos Arizona" -- "We are all Arizona."

"They were trying to convey that message that it's a city and nation based on immigration. Everybody came from somewhere else," he said.

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Thousands across the globe stage marches, protests on May Day

(News Terupdate) - Thousands of people across the globe took to the streets on Saturday in annual demonstrations for May Day, the annual event marked by demonstrations demanding better working conditions.

Known as International Workers' Day, the holiday draws thousands to peacefully protest. Others, as in Athens, Greece, clashed with police amid growing anger over the government's stiff plans to grapple with the country's debt.

About 12,000 people in Athens were on the streets, waving red flags and at times surging toward a line of police, who wore helmets and carried riot shields. Those disturbances led to injuries and arrests. A satellite truck was torched and two ATMs, the glass frontage of a bank and a car were damaged.

In Russia, more than 2.5 million people participated in traditional May Day celebrations in 900 cities and towns, the country's trade union federation said. The largest gatherings took place in Krasnodar, Yakutsk, Vladivostok, Izhevsk, Moscow and St. Petersburg. The people spoke out in favor of decent salaries and stable employment.

Watch May Day demonstration in Paris, France.

According to CNN sources and state-run news reports, there were many demonstrations.

Turkey:

For this first time in 30 years, tens of thousands of union members and leftist political activists gathered for the first legally sanctioned May Day celebration in Istanbul's central Taksim Square.

Germany:

Several protesters were detained after clashes with police in Hamburg. Seventeen police officers were reportedly injured when confronting demonstrators who they said were throwing rocks and setting garbage cans on fire.

Cuba:

A throng marched through Revolution Plaza in Havana. Crowds are usually big in Cuba on International Workers' Day but government officials said the turnout was a signal to Washington that the country is unified and supports its leaders.

United States:

Several dozen cities braced for protests against Arizona's controversial new immigration law.

Asia:

Thousands gathered in several Asian cities for its annual May Day demonstrations. They demanded improved working conditions and wage increases. Clashes between police and protesters were seen on TV.

Iran:

Protests popped up at the Labor Ministry, where demonstrators clashed with police and shouted "Death to the dictator."

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Greeks protest austerity cuts at May Day rally

Athens, Greece (News Terupdate) - Greek protesters clashed with police who fired tear gas during the annual May Day rally on Saturday in Athens, where thousands of people gathering for the event seethed over government belt-tightening plans to deal with the country's debt problems.

Waving red flags, the crowd at times surged toward the line of police, who wore helmets and carried riot shields. The police pushed them back each time.

Protesters threw objects toward police, and scattered fires were burning on the streets. A van belonging to state broadcaster ERT was set on fire, and 19 people were taken in for questioning, a spokesman for the Greek national police told CNN.

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About 12,000 people were protesting in Athens, and rallies were also taking place in the northern city of Thessaloniki, the spokesman said. Protesters there smashed two ATMs, the glass frontage of a bank, and a car, but no one was arrested or being questioned, the spokesman said.

The annual May Day rally has taken on an angry tone this year as the Greek government prepares to enact austerity measures to cap its large deficit and massive debt.

The package of measures was expected to be revealed Sunday. It is likely to include cuts in civil servants' salaries, pay freezes, reductions in pension payments, changes to tax rates, and increases in the value-added tax consumers pay on purchases, Ilias Iliopoulos, the general secretary of the public sector union ADEDY said Thursday.

The International Monetary Fund and the European Union are discussing a bailout for Greece, whose economic problems threaten the stability of the common European currency, the euro.

The amount of the aid package being negotiated was not clear, but the IMF and EU are likely to demand the austerity measures as a price for a bailout.

May Day observed around the world

Greece's national debt of 300 billion euros ($394 billion) is bigger than the country's economy, and some estimates predict it will reach 120 percent of gross domestic product in 2010.

Standard & Poor's this week downgraded Greece's sovereign credit rating to junk status, making Greece the first European country to fall below investment grade.

The downgrade makes it harder and more expensive for Greece to borrow money to pay back its debts. That makes the prospect of a bailout more crucial for Athens.

Also this week, Moody's Investors Service downgraded nine Greek banks, including the National Bank of Greece, citing their weakened financial strength and the country's "challenged" economic prospects.

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Turks mark first May Day in Taksim Square in 30 years

Istanbul, Turkey (News Terupdate) - Tens of thousands of union members and leftist political activists gathered Saturday for the first legally-sanctioned May Day celebration in Istanbul's central Taksim Square in 30 years.

Participants included relatives of at least 34 people killed when clashes erupted in Taksim between leftists and police on May Day in 1977. May Day rallies have been banned in Taksim Square since army generals swept into power in a military coup in 1980.

For the past four years, union activists determined to commemorate the May Day massacre have clashed with riot police who barred their entry to Istanbul's busiest central square. On such occasions, tear gas hung in the air and police were seen clubbing activists.

The governor of Istanbul said he authorized the celebration this year "to avoid tension ... and even to destroy certain taboos." "This May Day, which I believe will be peacefully celebrated, will be a reference point for subsequent years and will also mark a new beginning," Gov. Muammer Guler told Turkey's semiofficial Anatolian Agency.

Union organizers are calling Saturday's rally a victory for Turkish labor. "It has very symbolic meaning for us," said Eyup Ozer, a spokesman for the Revolutionary Workers Unions Confederation, known in Turkey by the acronym DISK.

"All the people who were murdered in the 1977 May Day demonstration will be represented by their photos."

Thousands of flag-waving union members filed peacefully Saturday past a labyrinth of security barriers, armored personnel carriers and helmeted riot police often referred to in Turkey as "Robo-cops."

Against a soundtrack of blaring labor anthems, activists chanted slogans like "Equal Jobs, equal Pay," "Free Health Care for Everyone" and "Long Live May 1st."

According to the Istanbul governor's website, 22,361 police are providing security. About 3,500 reinforcement riot police were brought in from other cities.

"In order to prevent the repetition of some sad events in the past," the website announced, "the riot police were trained in communication techniques, stress management, anger management and control."

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Group plans protests for immigrants' rights as immigration law changes

(News Terupdate) - Demonstrations in support of immigrants' rights are scheduled Saturday in at least 21 states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces. In all, protests are planned for 47 cities.

The demonstrations come amid a swirl of controversy surrounding a new immigration law in Arizona that allows police to demand proof of legal residency. Arizona lawmakers say the law is needed because the federal government has failed to enforce border security with Mexico, allowing more than 450,000 illegal immigrants to move into in the state.

Critics say the law is unconstitutional and will lead to racial profiling, which is illegal. But Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and others who support SB1070 say it does not involve profiling or other illegal acts.

The Arizona legislature passed a series of changes to the law late Thursday in an attempt to address the accusations that the measure will lead to profiling.

The law, which does not go into effect for 90 days, has already drawn at least two lawsuits and condemnation from the Mexican government and other Latin American nations. Prominent entertainers, including Shakira and Linda Ronstadt, also have spoken out against the law.

Some critics are calling for a boycott of Arizona, urging that tourists stay away and that no one do business with companies in the state.

On Friday, two San Francisco, California, officials wrote a three-page letter to Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig to ask that the 2011 All-Star Game be moved from Phoenix, Arizona, if the law is not repealed.

The Major League Baseball Players Association, the players' union, is also voicing its disapproval of the law.

"The recent passage by Arizona of a new immigration law could have a negative impact on hundreds of Major League players who are citizens of countries other than the United States," Michael Weiner, executive director of the association, said in a prepared statement Friday.

"These international players are very much a part of our national pastime and are important members of our Association. Their contributions to our sport have been invaluable, and their exploits have been witnessed, enjoyed and applauded by millions of Americans. All of them, as well as the Clubs for whom they play, have gone to great lengths to ensure full compliance with federal immigration law. ...

"The Major League Baseball Players Association opposes this law as written. We hope that the law is repealed or modified promptly. If the current law goes into effect, the MLBPA will consider additional steps necessary to protect the rights and interests of our members."

Also Friday, National Urban League President Marc Morial announced that the civil rights organization is suspending consideration of Phoenix -- which had submitted a bid -- as the location for its 2012 conference "as long as this unfortunate law remains in effect."

"The law is repugnant not just to people of color but to all Americans who value fairness, decency, and justice," said Morial, who added that no site in the state would be considered unless the law is repealed or overturned.

The organization is expected to announce the winning location for the convention at its 2010 conference in late July.

In addition, the African-American Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity announced it is pulling its July 2010 convention from Phoenix and moving it to Las Vegas, Nevada, because of what its board called "the egregious immigration act signed recently by the governor of Arizona."

"It was the full opinion of the board that we could not host a meeting in a state that has sanctioned a law which we believe will lead to racial profiling and discrimination, and a law that could put the civil rights and the very dignity of our members at risk during their stay in Phoenix, Arizona," the fraternity's board said.

Though perhaps not as vocal, the law also has plenty of supporters. Some have launched a "BUYcott," in which they urge people to spend money in the state to support the measure. Backers applaud Arizona legislators for taking seriously their concerns about illegal immigration and crime.

Arizona's new law requires immigrants to carry their registration documents at all times and mandates that police question people if there is reason to suspect they're in the United States illegally. The measure makes it a state crime to live in or travel through Arizona illegally.

It also targets those who hire illegal immigrant day laborers or knowingly transport them.

Brewer signed the law last week, and the legislature changed some language in it Thursday night in an attempt to make it less ambiguous as to how and when people can be questioned about their residency.

Brewer signed the changes into law Friday, saying they will ease concerns about racial profiling.

According to the bill the governor signed April 23, police would be able to detain an individual based merely on the suspicion that he or she entered the country illegally. A change that legislators approved Thursday night, however, says police could check on residency status only while enforcing some other law or ordinance. An officer could ask about an immigrant's status, for example, while investigating that person for speeding, loitering or some other offense.

In addition, the law says Arizona's attorney general or a county attorney cannot investigate complaints based "solely" on factors such as a person's race, color or national origin. The changes that legislators approved Thursday night would remove the word "solely," to emphasize that prosecutors must have some reason other than an individual's race or national origin to investigate.

Read the full text of Senate Bill 1070 (PDF)

The Arizona law will be the focus of Saturday's May Day immigration demonstrations, which have been held yearly since 2006.

Eleven protests are scheduled in California, with two in Los Angeles. New York has eight protests slated, including five in New York City.

In Canada, demonstrations are planned in Toronto and Vancouver.

The protests are being organized by the National Immigrant Solidarity Network and are being billed as "May Day 2010 -- National Mobilization for Immigrant Workers Rights."

Demonstrators want immigration reform that will lead to an easier path toward legal residency and citizenship.

"We have an immigration system that has been neglected for 30 years," said Clarissa Martinez of the National Council of La Raza. The Arizona law is not the answer, she said.

"That leads to greater chaos over that broken system," Martinez told CNN.

President Obama has called on Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration reform law this year. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other top Democratic senators unveiled the outlines of that legislation late Thursday.

But House Minority Leader John Boehner said at a briefing Thursday that "there's not a chance" that Congress will approve the measure this year, especially after the recent passage of health care reform.

Obama conceded this week that immigration reform is not likely this year.

The Arizona law has raised concerns in Mexico and throughout Latin America, U.S. officials say.

"It comes up ... in every meeting we have with the region," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Thursday. "We are hearing the concerns of the hemisphere loud and clear."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States will work to "understand and mitigate" Mexico's concerns. The Arizona law, she said, will be on the agenda when Mexican President Felipe Calderon visits Washington on May 19.

One of the two lawsuits against SB1070 was filed Thursday by a police officer in Tucson, Arizona, who asked that local law enforcement be exempt from enforcing the measure. Officer Martin H. Escobar says in the federal suit that the law will "seriously impede law enforcement investigations and facilitate the successful commission of crimes."

The National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders also filed a federal lawsuit Thursday.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Arizona and the National Immigration Law Center said Thursday they also plan to jointly file a lawsuit.

Supporters of SB1070 cite high levels of illegal immigration and crimes committed by unauthorized immigrants as a reason for the new law.

"Border violence and crime due to illegal immigration are critically important issues to the people of our state," Brewer said at the bill signing. "There is no higher priority than protecting the citizens of Arizona. We cannot sacrifice our safety to the murderous greed of the drug cartels. We cannot stand idly by as drop houses, kidnappings and violence compromise our quality of life."

But statistics from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency and the FBI indicate that both the number of illegal immigrants and violent crime have decreased in the state in recent years.

According to FBI statistics, violent crimes in Arizona dropped by nearly 1,500 reported incidents between 2005 and 2008. Reported property crimes also fell during the same period, from about 287,000 reported incidents to 279,000. These decreases are accentuated by the fact that Arizona's population grew by 600,000 people between 2005 and 2008.

According to the nonpartisan Immigration Policy Institute, proponents of the bill "overlook two salient points: crime rates have already been falling in Arizona for years despite the presence of unauthorized immigrants, and a century's worth of research has demonstrated that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes or be behind bars than the native-born."

Federal officials estimate there are about 10.8 million illegal immigrants in the United States, of which about 6.6 million come from Mexico and 760,000 from the rest of Latin America. About 1 million come from Asia.

Arizona, which is on the Mexican border, has about 460,000 undocumented immigrants, the federal government says. At least five other states, including California with 2.6 million, have more undocumented immigrants, the government says. The other states with more illegal immigrants than Arizona are Texas, Florida, New York and Georgia.

A Pew Research Center survey late last year found that Americans believe Latinos are discriminated against more than any other major racial or ethnic group in American society.

The Pew survey also indicated that about one-third of the nation's Latinos say they or someone they know has experienced discrimination. About 9 percent said they had been stopped by police or other authorities and asked about their immigration status in the year before the survey.

Fifty-seven percent of those surveyed said they worried that they, a family member or a close friend could be deported.

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Thousands protest Russia-Ukraine deal

Moscow, Russia (News Terupdate) - Thousands of opposition demonstrators marched in front of the parliament building in Kiev, Ukraine, Saturday, protesting a deal reached earlier this week to extend Russia's military presence in the former Soviet Republic, national news media reported.

Parliamentary opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko -- the former prime minister who lost to Viktor Yanukovych in the presidential election run-off in February -- told protesters Saturday that the ratification of the treaty must be prevented at all costs.

She claimed that Yanukovych is "selling out" Ukraine, has "openly embarked on the path of destruction of [Ukraine's] national interests, and has actually begun the process of eliminating the state's sovereignty," according to a transcript of the speech on her website.

After the deal was signed Wednesday by Yanukovych and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Tymoshenko said it violated part of the Ukrainian Constitution, which forbids the country from hosting foreign military bases after 2017.

Saturday, protesters reportedly adopted a resolution calling the agreement an "unprecedented act of national treason and disgrace," and calling on all opposition groups to unite against it.

According to Tymoshenko's website, some 10,000 people gathered at the rally. But Ukrainian national news agency UNIAN estimated the number of protesters at 5,000.

The deal extends Russia's lease of a major naval base in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Ukraine, for an additional 25 years, in exchange for a 30 percent cut in the price of natural gas that Russia sells to Ukraine.

The agreement may bring an end to years of disputes over natural gas prices, which culminated in Russia turning off the pipeline to Ukraine. The dispute affected not only Ukrainians, but many Europeans who depend on Russian gas pumped through Ukraine.

The two countries had been at odds ever since the "Orange Revolution" swept Yanukovych's fiercely anti-Russian predecessor Viktor Yushchenko to power in 2005.

Throughout his time in office, Yushchenko repeatedly threatened to expel Russia's Black Sea Fleet from Sevastopol. The Russian military lease there was scheduled to expire in 2017.

"The prolongation of the Black Sea Fleet's presence in Sevastopol is essential to Russia," Yanukovych said Wednesday. "We understand that the Black Sea Fleet will be one of the guarantors of security on the Black Sea."

The Kremlin-friendly Yanukovych, who hails from predominantly Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine, trounced Yushchenko in national elections last January.

The Russian president said the new deal added a "concrete and pragmatic dimension" to centuries of relations between Ukrainians and Russians.

Opposition groups in Ukraine, however, were quick to denounce the agreement. Yuschenko's "Our Ukraine" party said the treaty would lead to the "Russification" of Ukraine.

Opposition activists decided Saturday to stage another protest in front of parliament April 27, when the deal will be put to a ratification vote.

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Thai protesters set terms for negotiations

Bangkok, Thailand (News Terupdate) - The leaders of anti-government protesters in Thailand offered Friday to return to the negotiating table -- but only if the government meets certain demands.

The demonstrators will resume negotiations if the government lifts a state of emergency and other measures and shows responsibility for the deaths of protesters on two days this month, said Weng Tojirakarn, a co-leader of the anti-government Red Shirt protesters.

His remarks come as tension remains high on the streets of Bangkok, where a political standoff has gripped the country for several weeks.

The Red Shirts have been clashing with the Thai military in a Bangkok area that serves as a financial hub.

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Another co-leader of the Red Shirts, Veera Muskapong, met with foreign diplomats Friday and told them he might meet with the government if it meets certain conditions.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, meanwhile, huddled with the chiefs of the country's armed forces early Friday after a string of grenade attacks killed at least one person and wounded dozens of others.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said in a televised address that the grenades were launched from the area where the Red Shirts have been encamped for weeks, but the protesters denied any responsibility for the attacks.

Watch red shirt protests

Suthep told Thai television earlier that three people died in the attacks, but Bangkok's Erawan Emergency and Rescue Center later revised the number to one. At least 87 people were wounded, the center said.

The Thai Department of Special Investigation warned that people responsible for the grenade attacks could face the death penalty, the MCOT news agency reported.

The attacks prompted the U.S. State Department to issue a travel alert advising American citizens of the escalating violence in Bangkok.

Suthep said riot police and helicopters were deployed to join Thai troops in the area, which was still littered with glass amid the standoff.

Across the barricades, the Red Shirts were playing music and trying to encourage a festive atmosphere. Demonstrators told CNN late Thursday they wanted to drive home the point that their rallies are supposed to be peaceful.

Thrown into the volatile mix are a group of protesters who called themselves the Multicolored Shirts -- they oppose the anti-government Red Shirts. On Friday, they took to the streets in large numbers.

Explainer: What are the protests in Thailand about?

Thursday's five explosions took place near an elevated train station where the protesters are gathered, said Col. Sansern Kaewkumnerd, spokesman for the Center for Resolutions under Emergency Situation. Three of the grenades landed on the roof of the station, but at least one landed outside a nearby hotel, Sansern said.

The Red Shirts support former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a bloodless military coup in 2006. They want Abhisit to dissolve the government, hold new elections and leave the country.

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