Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya on the X platform announced that 407 people were taken for violations of the Assembly Act. Many of them apparently wanted to get to the Taksim Square in the European part of the city, where demonstrations have been banned for years, TASR reports, referring to AFP and DPA.
At the order of the Governor Office, numerous roadblocks were built in the city, which paralyzed large parts of the center. Dozens of metro stations, bus and tram stops were temporarily closed, ferry transport was interrupted and parking houses were also closed.
The Governor’s Office announced that more than 60,000 people participated in the permitted May Day protests in other parts of the city. More than 50,000 police officers were deployed in the streets. Two authorities allowed demonstrations organized by trade unions with several thousand participants were also held in Istanbul. However, several unauthorized gatherings were also held.
At the end of March, Istanbul was the scene of mass protests against the arrest of his favorite mayor and presidential candidate of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) Ekrema Imamogl, who is the most promising challenge of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the elections of the head of state in 2028. According to the authorities, nearly 2,000 people were arrested during these protests.
Erdogan received on Thursday in the capital Ankara representatives of trade unions and various professional groups. On this occasion he highlighted the achievements of his government in favor of workers. The events on the occasion of the holiday of the work were also held in Ankara, Izmire, Adana, Antakyi, Kayseri and other Turkish cities. According to Yerlikay, more than 280,000 people participated in them throughout the country.
