Occupy Boston Marks May Day With Rallies, 'Funeral'

It's May Day, an international labor holiday, and demonstrations of varying size and message are under way around the world, as NPR and other outlets are reporting.

Here, Occupy Boston planned "A Day Without The 99%," as it urged "the 99% to strike, skip work, walk out of school, and refrain from shopping, banking, and business."

The group began its schedule of area events this morning in Boston's Financial District, where, as WCVB-TV reports, "[a] small group of Occupy Boston protesters braved the rain and marched." Demonstrators then gathered at Copley Square and Boston City Hall Plaza.

Suzi Pietroluongo, a student at Emerson College, told our Newscast unit at Copley Square that she was hoping to raise awareness of workers' rights.

"Today I'm hoping just to get people aware of what May Day is, get people aware that there is an issue in this country and that they can do something about it," she said.

Occupy Boston concludes its events tonight with a "Death of Capitalism Street Theater Funeral Procession" at Copley Square.

After some 10 weeks camped there, Occupy Boston was evicted from Dewey Square in early December.

For other coverage, The New York Times is following Occupy Wall Street's May Day protests and Boston-based GlobalPost has a roundup of May Day demonstrations around the world.