Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Wednesday that 217 people had been detained following clashes between protesters and police during May Day demonstrations in Istanbul. Tear gas and rubber bullets were reportedly employed by authorities to prevent protesters from reaching Taksim Square, a historic focal point for such rallies.
President Tayyip Erdogan’s pre-emptive statement on the eve of May Day, declaring that protests would not be permitted on Taksim Square, set the stage for confrontation. Legal experts argue that Erdogan’s stance contravenes Turks’ constitutional right to organize public meetings and demonstrations, a right upheld by the Constitutional Court in a ruling last October.
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The opposition leader of Turkey’s Republican People’s Party (CHP), Ozgur Ozel, defied the ban issued by the Istanbul governor’s office and called for the rally to proceed in Taksim Square. Ozel asserted that the celebration of May Day in the country’s main square is fundamental to democracy, emphasizing that the struggle for this right will persist until Taksim is freed.
Despite the ban, Ozel and Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, both CHP members, joined workers and labor union members in a march towards Taksim Square to protest against economic hardships and soaring inflation. However, the demonstration was abruptly halted in the district of Sarachane following police intervention, eliciting frustration and anger from the crowd.