Protesters planned to gather across the Bay Area on Friday for a series of May Day rallies aimed at boosting workers’ rights and criticizing the rising cost of living in America under President Donald Trump, particularly as energy prices spike during the war in Iran.
Hundreds of May Day protests were planned across the nation — including dozens in Northern California, where protests were planned in most major cities — amid a call by organizers for “no work, no school, no shopping.” Its goals appeared myriad, including voicing support for workers rights and opposing actions by ICE, the United States’ war in Iran and the growing income inequality across the nation.
At the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport late Friday morning, a swell of protesters chanted “People power!” and “We’re May Day strong,” while marching through the drop-of areas of for Delta Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Volaris. Many held signs opposing arms shipments to Israel through the Port of Oakland, while others read “Stop U.S. wars” and “Tax the rich.”
“We’re the people — we’re the ones who made them rich,” said Gregory Slaughter, 73, of the nation’s billionaire class. “They need to pay their fair share of taxes.” He condemned Republican cuts to Medicare, which he relies on for his medication, and chastised Trump for leading a “fascist government.”
“I’m happy that we’re sending a message to the White House,” Slaughter added. “He’s caused nothing but chaos for his own people.”
They were joined by protesters across the world supporting May Day, which is recognized in many countries as a national holiday celebrating workers rights. Demonstrations were seen in Seoul, Sydney, Jakarta, Morocco, Turkey, France and the Philippines, the Associated Press reported.
“Working people refuse to pay the price for Donald Trump’s war in the Middle East,” said the European Trade Union Confederation, which represents 93 trade union organizations in 41 European countries, according to the AP. “Today’s rallies show working people will not stand by and see their jobs and living standards destroyed.”
Locally, protesters planned to stage rallies around the San Francisco International Airport around midday Friday, while other protests were planned across numerous cities in the region, including San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco, according to the website May Day Strong. It called for residents to “flex our collective power in a tremendous day of action.”
Some businesses — including the Grand Lake Theater near Lake Merritt in Oakland — planned to remain closed for the day, in solidarity with protesters.
“There’s power in numbers, and if we come together and organize, we can put people and workers over billionaires,” said Grace Martinez, deputy director of California Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, who planned to protest at Oakland’s airport.
The May Day demonstrations come amid ever-widening shows of discontent over Trump’s second term in office, including his hollowing out of the federal workforce and a deadly immigration crackdown. More recently, protesters have decried his decision to go to war with Iran, which has caused average gas prices to surge toward and in some cases past $6 a gallon across the state.
Organizers claimed roughly 8 million people showed out across the nation in late March for the third round of “No Kings” protests, which aimed to push back against what they characterized as the Trump administration’s authoritarian policies. Some 136,000 people took to the streets at more than 50 rallies across the Bay Area — a dip from protests in June 2025 and October 2025, which drew crowds of 140,000 and 220,000, respectively.
Check back for updates to this developing story.