The number of people detained this Wednesday by Turkish police as part of the Labor Day protests in Istanbul rose to 210, announced Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
“210 people who did not pay attention to the warnings, who tried to advance towards Taksim Square and attacked our police officers on May 1st, Labor and Solidarity Day in Istanbul, were arrested,” said the minister in a message on the social network X.
Previously, authorities reported that 150 people had been detained, with Turkish police using tear gas to disperse a group of protesters who tried to break through a police cordon near Taksim Square.
Authorities asked protesters to avoid any action that could violate public order, and they threw plastic bottles and other objects at security forces, according to reports on NTV television.
The local government banned Labor Day demonstrations in the central area of Taksim, in the Saraçhane district, blocking all access to the square. In total, traffic has been interrupted on around 70 streets, as well as the main road.
Around 42 thousand police officers were mobilized as part of a massive security operation as May 1st is a day that, historically, sees several disturbances and protests.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the nation in a message broadcast on state television in which he sent “greetings and all his affection to Turkish workers”.
May 1st is an important day in the history of Türkiye. In 1977, half a million people took part in a protest that was harshly repressed by security forces. According to official figures, 37 people died that day in Taksim, where there were shootings and riot police used tear gas and water cannons.
