Most of May Day detainees in Istanbul released
ISTANBUL
Most of the hundreds of people detained for attempting to reach Istanbul’s Taksim Square during May Day demonstrations have been released.
Authorities said a total of 416 people were taken into custody in Istanbul during the May 1 Labor Day events
Of those, 372 were released after initial processing, news agencies reported on May 2. Thirty-six individuals were referred to court, while procedures were ongoing for eight others at the police’s counter-terrorism department.
Elsewhere, one person was detained in both the northern city of Tokat and the eastern city of Van during related demonstrations.
Labor Day was marked by workers organizations and unions in multiple cities across Türkiye, with Istanbul and the capital Ankara seeing the largest crowds and the tightest security.
In Istanbul, this year’s main rally took place in the Kadıköy district following a traditional government ban on gatherings in the historically symbolic Taksim Square.
Participants began gathering in Kadıköy early in the day, passing through police checkpoints before entering the designated rally area.
Meanwhile, a small delegation of union representatives was allowed to lay a wreath at the Republic Monument in Taksim to commemorate those killed in the 1977 May Day massacre, when unidentified gunmen opened fire on the crowd, killing dozens.
After the wreath-laying ceremony, Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions of Türkiye (DİSK) head Arzu Çerkezoğlu delivered a speech, extending her wishes for a meaningful celebration of the day.
She also criticized the continued ban on demonstrations in Taksim.
Security forces sealed off all roads leading to Taksim early in the day. Several groups attempting to march from surrounding neighborhoods such as Şişli and Mecidiyeköy were blocked and, in some cases, detained after defying police warnings.
In the lead-up to the event, police detained more than 70 individuals on April 29 for calling on the public to gather in Taksim, in defiance of the ban.
The chief public prosecutor's office in Istanbul said, "some terrorist organizations had attempted to exploit the symbolic significance of Labor Day by calling for unauthorized gatherings to disseminate propaganda."
