By Kate Schwartz, Newser Staff

May Day rallies are in effect in all corners of the globe, from Greece and Iraq to France and the Philippines — and, soon, stateside. What began as an international workers’ holiday has morphed into an international day of protest, fueled in part by the Occupy Wall Street movement, with Asians clamoring for increased wages and Europeans blasting the austerity measures sweeping their continent.

Thus far, all seems largely peaceful: Some 100,000 people took to the streets in Moscow, joined by a “happily chatting” Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin, reports the AP, while in Manila, some 8,000 red-shirted workers had their demand for a $3-a-day pay raise rejected by the president … who was burned in effigy.

More from Newser

Stephen King: Raise My F***ing Taxes Already

Wall Street to Slash 21K Jobs

Washington Post Buys Digg Techies … but Not Digg

…

See more here: May Day Protests Sweep the Globe