Turkey marks tense May Day as police enforce lockdown in central Istanbul
As demonstrations are underway throughout Turkey to mark May Day, Turkish police have taken extraordinary measures to prevent them, detaining at least 136 people, particularly around Istanbul’s Taksim Square, which is on lockdown today, Hurriyet Daily News reports.
Opposition parties and some unions have announced that they are determined to march to the square from the nearby Beşiktaş neighborhood where they have been gathering from 10:00 a.m. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu underlined that only “symbolic” rallies would be allowed, hinting that police would disperse any attempt of massive marches.
Only a small group of unionists were allowed into the square for a moderate remembrance ceremony for the victims of the May Day 1977, when 34 people were killed.