1 May 2012 Last updated at 13:48

In pictures: May Day 2012

A demonstrator wearing a mask Nicolas Sarkozy, 1 May 2012.

Hundreds of thousands of workers are gathering across the world to mark May Day. In France this demonstrator wore a mask of President Nicolas Sarkozy who is campaigning against his Socialist rival Francois Hollande in the run up to the second round of voting in the presidential election.

Large crowd of people marching in the street holding flags and a large red banner, 1 May 2012.

In Spain, where unemployment has reached 24.4%, demonstrators in Valencia held banners and flags reading: "Work, dignity, they want to end all of it."

Men gathered around a wooden pole, one drinking water, 1 May 2012.

In Perchting, Germany, men in traditional Bavarian dress raised the customary maypole - an annual event that dates back to the 16th Century.

A young girl waving a Lebanese communist flag, 1 May 2012.

In the Lebanese capital, Beirut, communist flags and symbols were paraded through the streets.

A drum band marches through Moscow on May 1, 2012.

In Moscow, a drum band marched through the city as part of a rally organised by the Russian Federation of Trade Unions.

Protesters burn an effigy of President Benigno Aquino during a rally in Manila on May 1, 2012.

In the Philippines capital, Manila, around 8,000 demonstrators burned an effigy of President Benigno Aquino after he rejected calls for a pay increase.

Crowds of people sitting on the roof of a McDonald's restaurant, 1 May 2012.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Taksim Square in the Turkish city of Istanbul to watch a huge rally.

A student lies on the ground during a May Day march in Taipei on May 1, 2012.

A student demonstration against tuition fee increases took place in Taipei, Taiwan, where thousands of protesters marched through the city.

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In pictures: May Day 2012

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