ISTANBUL, (Reuters) – Turkish riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse May Day demonstrators trying to reach Istanbul’s main Taksim Square today, and Turkish media said dozens of protesters were detained.President Tayyip Erdogan said on the eve of May Day that Taksim Square, cordoned off by the police, would not be allowed for the annual protests.
Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel called for the rally in the square despite a ban issued by the Istanbul Governor’s office.
Workers and labour union members gathered in the city’s Sarachane neighbourhood on Wednesday morning to march to Taksim Square to protest against soaring inflation and economic hardship.
Authorities deployed snipers on the historic Valens Aqueduct in Sarachane and created a barricade with water cannon vehicles and dozens of police officers, blocking all routes to the square, Reuters video showed.
Some protestors threw stones at security forces as they tried to breach barricades.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said more than 42,000 police officers were drafted in Istanbul for the demonstrations, held every year to mark International Labour Day.
Protests are often centred on Taksim Square, where 34 people were killed during demonstrations on May 1, 1977.
