Turkish police fired tear gas, water cannon and rubber pellets to stop May Day demonstrators trying to access the city’s iconic Taksim Square. REUTERS Photo
14.53: CHP deputy Mahmut Tanal has claimed that police officers fired real bullets in Istanbul. “Those are real bullets, are you aware of that? Using real bullets against the people is a huge crime. What’s necessary should immediately be done,” Tanal said via his Twitter account, linking to a picture of two bullets that were found in the Beşiktaşdistrict.
Istanbul is set for a difficult May Day, with the Istanbul Governor’s Office warning that Taksim Square will not be opened for Labor Day demonstrations even as unions insist on their right to gather at the iconic square.
The governor’s office cited intelligence reports indicating that “illegal terrorist groups” would resort to violence against security forces as a reason for blocking Taksim Square, as well as many roads located around the central square.
Unions, including the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DİSK) and the Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (KESK), have marched to Taksim defying the ban trying to break the police barricades. They say the government’s measures are incompatible with previous rulings from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ensuring freedom of assembly.
Besides Istanbul, May Day demonstrations are planned by activists in more than 30 provinces of Turkey, including the capital Ankara.
Here are the live updates:
18.00: The Istanbul Governor’s Office has stated that 142 demonstrators have been detained and 90 people, 19 of whom are police officers, were injured and treated in hospital during May Day clashes in the city. Twenty-three people are still being treated, the statement added. The numbers provided by the governor’s office did not take into account those who have been treated outside of hospitals.
17.10: A woman in Ankara has braved police by standing in front of a water cannon truck (TOMA), refusing to let it proceed on its way. The woman, wearing a distinctive bag, did not move despite officers warning that they would resort to firing water if she did not let them pass. She finally sat on the track, holding her ID in her hands, as police fired pressurized water.
14.53: CHP deputy Mahmut Tanal has claimed that police officers fired real bullets in Istanbul. “Those are real bullets, are you aware of that? Using real bullets against the people is a huge crime. What’s necessary should immediately be done,” Tanal said via his Twitter account, linking to a picture of two bullets that were found in the Beşiktaşdistrict.