In Istanbul, more than 40,000 police officers were ordered to the streets to control the protests.
In Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, police used rubber bullets and tear gas against protesters on May Day.
The ay and left-wing activists gathered at Istanbul’s city hall tried to march towards Taksim Square, located in the European center of the city.
Demonstrators aiming for Taksim had also gathered elsewhere in the city. Local media at least 150 people have been arrested. The authorities have not disclosed the number of those arrested.
The trade unions finally decided to cancel the attempts to march on the square.
The government justifies the ban on demonstrations with terrorism
Before May Day, Turkey’s main opposition party CHP and trade unions demanded that the authorities allow the use of Taksim for May Day demonstrations. However, the government did not agree. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya according to which “terrorist organizations” may not use Taksim Square for their propaganda.
Taksim was the traditional gathering place for May Day parades until 1977. Then unidentified snipers stationed on the roofs of buildings in the square opened fire on the demonstrators. More than 30 people died in the shooting. After the massacre, the authorities decided to ban gatherings in the square.
The Constitutional Court would allow the demonstrations
Taksim was opened again for May Day demonstrations in 2010. However, the demonstrations were banned again in 2013. At the same time, Turkey started to restrict the freedom of assembly after a few years of a freer period
In 2023, the Turkish Constitutional Court found the ban on demonstrations in the square to be against fundamental rights. President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan however, the administration has failed to comply with several decisions of the Constitutional Court in recent years.