Hundreds arrested in crackdown on May Day protests in Istanbul

Hundreds of people have been arrested in Istanbul, with 50,000 police officers deployed to the city as authorities attempt to crack down on May Day protests.

Public transport was shut down to stop people reaching Taksim Square, where demonstrations have been banned since 2013.

Footage from the Turkish capital showed clashes between riot police and protesters with demonstrators chanting as police forcefully move detainees onto buses.

The city saw huge protests in March after the arrest of the opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu – the main rival to Turkey’s President Erdogan.

On 1 May each year, marches led by workers and unions are held as part of International Labour Day celebrations in many countries.

Taksim Square – the heart of Istanbul – was under a tight lock down, with police and metal barriers along all roads leading to the area.

Authorities were determined, perhaps this year more than ever, to ensure there were no major protests on the square, and they had enough riot police to ensure that.

The square, normally busy with bustling crowds, looked lifeless, with restaurants and shops sealed shut.

The only way past the lines of police was with permission. Several labour unions were allowed briefly onto Taksim, carrying red banners and flowers.

Standing in front of the Republic Monument, which commemorates the founding of the modern Turkey in 1923, one speaker complained about the restrictions they faced. Trucks with water canon parked a short distance away.

On roads leading to the square, groups of tourists passed by on foot from time to time, dragging suitcases, unsure of where they could go and unable to reach taxis.

The square was sealed off for several days before 1 May, according to AFP news agency.

A student named Murat said streets had been “blocked… as if it’s a state of emergency”, he told AFP.

“We weren’t allowed into the squares… We were taken from the streets in small groups under torture. It’s not a situation we’re facing for the first time. It probably won’t be the last.”

On Wednesday, 100 people were detained for allegedly planning to protest in the square.

The city’s authorities said on Thursday that 382 people had been arrested for “non-authorised demonstrations”.

Rights group Amnesty International has urged Turkey to lift the ban on demonstrations in Taksim.

The restrictions “are based on entirely spurious security and public order grounds”, said Dinushika Dissanayake, an Amnesty’s specialist on Europe.

In a statement, the group called on officials to respect the right to protest and “not use force against peaceful protesters”.

Ekrem Imamoglu’s arrest in March triggered mass protests on the streets of Istanbul as hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators came out in support of Istanbul’s mayor, who is being held in jail on corruption charges he denies.

He has said his arrest is political, but the has government denied this and insists the Turkish courts are fully independent.

Mayor since 2019, Imamoglu is widely viewed as the only politician capable of challenging Erdogan in the 2028 election. Imamoglu was confirmed as the opposition party’s candidate while he was in custody.

Erdogan has been in power for more than 20 years, first as prime minister then as president from 2014. He cannot run again for the presidency after 2028 – unless he changes Turkey’s constitution.