|
Protests marking International Workers’ Day, a national holiday
in Turkey, are frequently marred by clashes with authorities,
which have declared Istanbul’s central Taksim Square a no-go
area for protesters on security grounds. More than 30 people
were killed in violence at the square during May Day protests in
1977.
On Friday, small groups of protesters kept popping up around
Taksim Square, attempting to breach the police blockade, holding
union banners and chanting for the square to be reopened.
The main gathering point was the nearby Mecidiyekoy district,
where hundreds of participants were met with water cannons and
pepper spray before being detained.
The detentions come a day after Turkey’s top Constitutional
Court ruled that three people who were detained for 58 days in
2024 on May Day had their right to peaceful assembly violated,
setting a precedent for May Day protests.
The Istanbul governor’s office said that the public had been
informed of the safety precautions beforehand. “Certain marginal
groups dismissed the precautions, and clashed with police
officers as they do every year,” it said, adding that 575 people
were detained by 6 p.m. Friday.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
