"We don't need a Primark” 500 participants at May demonstration in Bonn
Bonn · May Day demonstrations in Bonn included a dig at the Irish fashion retailer Primark, which will occupy four floors of the new Maximilian Center. Some citizens also rallied for preservation of a diverse inner city, and the existing swimming pools.
On May 1, the Bonn citizens' choir "Bonnopoly" congregated on the steps of the Old Town Hall, around 50 strong. It posed the question of how citizens wanted to live in Bonn, advocating for a lively and diverse inner city, and demanding that Bonn's swimming pools be preserved and renovated.
"We don't need a Primark, no iNvestors to bleed small shops dry". With a final refrain of "Bonn belongs to us", the applause of the approximate 500 participants set the May demonstration in motion. After that, the head of the Bonn/Rhine-Sieg DGB union, Bernd Weede, opened a May Day rally at Bonn Marktplatz.
Various theme pavilions provided information about Europe, housing, education and job training. Political parties were represented as well as the Consumer Center, Attac and Amnesty International. The alliance "Wir wollen Wohnen” (We want to live), consisting of tenants' associations, welfare associations and trade unions, drew attention to the precarious housing situation in Bonn.
Since the European Parliament will be newly elected at the end of May, the DGB has organized May rallies nationwide. "If the European Union did not exist, it would have to be invented", was the rally call for this year's Labor Day.
On stage in front of the Old Town Hall, Bernd Weede, Peter Ruhenstroth-Bauer of "Pulse of Europe", EU student David O'Connell and DGB education officer Catalina Guia spoke about their "visions for Europe". While children could enjoy themselves on the bouncy castle and children's carousel, "Thomas Heck And Friends" accompanied the rally with music and Robert Griess offered entertainment with excerpts from his cabaret program.
A second demonstration on the subject of "Unconditional Basic Income" started at 1 p.m. at Frankenbadplatz, followed by participants marching through the Old Town to Frankenbad for a final rally. Orig. text: Stefan Hermes Translation: Carol Kloeppel
