Several thousand people participated in demonstrations throughout the country. The recordings from the largest Turkish city, shown by Halk TV, show the chairman of the Turkish Workers' Party (TIP), Erkan Bas, against whom the services used gas. “The government talks non-stop 365 days a year anyway, so let's let workers talk about the difficulties they face at least once a year,” Bas said.
Law enforcement services, using, among others, from vehicles, blocked access to Taksim Square – a traditional place of gatherings and protests in Istanbul. The police operated in several districts of the city. AFP journalists reported that officers cordoned off central parts of Istanbul and were deployed in large numbers throughout the city. The administration banned Labor Day celebrations in the Beyoglu, Sisli, Besiktas and Fatih districts.
The tragedy of 1977. The Turkish authorities introduced a ban
The reason for such restrictive police actions dates back to events from several decades ago. In 1977, during Labor Day celebrations in Taksim Square, unknown gunmen opened fire on the crowd. Dozens of people died as a result of the shooting and the panic it caused. Two years later, the Turkish government banned gatherings in this square, which turned the place into an arena of annual clashes between security forces and leftist groups.
The administration banned Labor Day in 1980. It reinstated it in 2009, and a year later — for two years only — it allowed May Day rallies in Taksim Square. In 2012, the ban was reintroduced for fear of repeating the tragedy from several decades ago. As every year, only a limited number of trade union representatives were able to lay a wreath at the Republic Monument in Taksim Square on Friday – both to commemorate May Day and the victims of the massacre.
It's hot in Istanbul. Arrests and charges
Istanbul's governor's office designated the Kadikoy district as the main demonstration site this year, setting up checkpoints in front of the rally area. The legal protest was attended by, among others: leader of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Ozgur Ozel. Trade unions and social organizations called for demonstrations under the slogan “Bread, peace and freedom.”
To strengthen security, before Labor Day, the Turkish government issued an arrest warrant for 62 people who allegedly planned to carry out attacks. Investigators linked the suspects to several left-wing terrorist organizations. They charged 39 of them.
