Class, democracy and equality May 1, 2021 Since 1890, workers across the world have been commemorating ‘May Day’ to pay tribute to the martyrs of Chicago who sacrificed their lives in the struggle to achieve 8 hours working day. In 1886, in the American city of Chicago, unarmed protesting workers demanding an eight-hour working day were met with brutal force. May Day continues to symbolise the fight for the eight-hour day. Often, the ruling class, capitalist media and intellectuals accuse the working class for resorting to violence to achieve their demands but history shows us it is actually the other way round. It is really the capitalist class that resorts to violence to suppress the working people. As the events in Chicago proved, peaceful protest was met with brutal state force.