On the chilly and rainy afternoon of Thursday, May 1, 1890, a crowd of around fifteen hundred people, mostly workers of German and Italian origin, gathered in a large meeting hall under the watchful eyes of disguised police officers and the more menacing presence of dozens of policemen stationed on the pavement.

The event began with a speech by a Swiss man named Joseph Winiger, followed by several speakers appointed by the organizing committee. One spoke in Spanish, the next in French, then one in German, one in Italian, and finally one in Dutch. After a couple of hours, the crowd dispersed peacefully.

The following week, a German-language newspaper called Vorwärts celebrated the event’s success in honoring the decision of the first congress of the Second International, held in Paris in July 1889, to hold simultaneous internationalist meetings on May 1.