ISTANBUL: Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya on Wednesday said 210 people were arrested in clashes with police at May Day rallies in Istanbul.
Turkish police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters as more than 40,000 police personnel were deployed across Istanbul, blocking even small streets with metal barriers.
Earlier President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that annual protests would not be allowed to take place at the Taksim Square on May Day. Authorities since 2013 have banned rallies in Istanbul.
Yerlikaya in a statement on X, said that 210 people were arrested in Istanbul after they attempted to walk to the Taksim Square and attack the police officers on May 1 Labour and Solidarity Day.
Police clashed with demonstrators near city hall, firing rubber bullets and tear gas to stop protesters from breaching barriers.
Secretary General of the Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions of Turkey (DISK), Arzu Cerkezoglu told media that they gathered to celebrate May Day at Taksim Square.
She said Taksim is an important symbol for Türkiye.
Türkiye’s top constitutional court in 2023, ruled that the closure of Taksim Square for protests was a violation of the rights of the citizens.
The square was a major venue for May Day rallies until 1977, when at least 34 people were killed during demonstrations. Authorities opened the square again in 2010, but it was closed again after the 2013 protests.
All major roads of Istanbul were closed to traffic while public transport including ferries and subway trains were stopped because of the security clampdown. The city’s landmarks such as the Topkapi Palace were also cordoned off.
