Hundreds detained during May Day protests in Turkey
An union member is detained by a Turkish police officer as people try to march towards Taksim square in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, May 1, 2026, during Labor Day celebrations. Credit: AP/Khalil Hamra
ISTANBUL — Turkish authorities detained over 500 May Day demonstrators on Friday for attempting to march in areas declared off-limits.
Protests marking International Workers’ Day, a national holiday in Turkey, are frequently marred by clashes with authorities, which have declared Istanbul’s central Taksim Square a no-go area for protesters on security grounds. More than 30 people were killed in violence at the square during May Day protests in 1977.
On Friday, small groups of protesters kept popping up around Taksim Square, attempting to breach the police blockade, holding union banners and chanting for the square to be reopened.
The main gathering point was the nearby Mecidiyekoy district, where hundreds of participants were met with water cannons and pepper spray before being detained.
The detentions come a day after Turkey’s top Constitutional Court ruled that three people who were detained for 58 days in 2024 on May Day had their right to peaceful assembly violated, setting a precedent for May Day protests.
The Istanbul governor’s office said that the public had been informed of the safety precautions beforehand. “Certain marginal groups dismissed the precautions, and clashed with police officers as they do every year,” it said, adding that 575 people were detained by 6 p.m. Friday.
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