The number of people detained by Turkish police this Wednesday as part of Labor Day protests in Istanbul has risen to 210, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.
“210 people were arrested who did not pay attention to warnings, who tried to advance towards Taksim Square and attacked our police officers on May 1, Labor and Solidarity Day in Istanbul,” the minister said in a post on the social network X. .
Authorities earlier said 150 people were detained, with Turkish police firing tear gas to disperse a group of protesters trying to break through a police cordon near Taksim Square.
Authorities asked protesters to avoid any actions that could disrupt public order, and they threw plastic bottles and other objects at security forces, according to NTV television.
The local government banned Labor Day demonstrations in the central Taksim district of Saracane, blocking all access to the square. In total, traffic was stopped on about 70 streets, as well as on the main road.
Some 42,000 police officers have been mobilized as part of a massive security operation as May 1 is historically a day when several riots and protests occur.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the nation in an address broadcast on state television in which he extended his “greetings and all his affection to Turkish workers.”
May 1 is an important day in the history of Turkey. In 1977, half a million people took part in a protest that was brutally suppressed by security forces. According to official data, 37 people were killed that day in the Taksim area, where there was a shootout and riot police used tear gas and water cannons.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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