Over 400 arrested in Istanbul May Day crackdown

Police detained more than 400 individuals in Istanbul on Thursday, as sections of Turkey’s largest city were brought to a standstill in an effort to block May Day demonstrations, according to a lawyers’ group.

On Wednesday, city officials suspended metro, bus, and ferry services across the metropolis and arrested 100 people allegedly planning to protest in the central Taksim Square, where public gatherings have been prohibited since 2013. This year’s May Day coincides with a political standoff between the government and the main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), following the detention of its presidential candidate, Ekrem Imamoglu. Imamoglu, who serves as the Mayor of Istanbul, is regarded as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s most prominent political challenger. “The number of arrests reported to us has exceeded 400,” Istanbul’s branch of the Contemporary Lawyers Association (CHD) posted on X on Thursday. City authorities have yet to issue a statement regarding the arrests. AFP reporters witnessed dozens of arrests across districts on the European side of the city. Meanwhile, thousands joined authorised demonstrations organised by trade unions on the Asian side, according to local media and an AFP journalist. On Wednesday, Amnesty International called on Turkish authorities to lift the longstanding ban on Taksim Square protests. “The restrictions on May Day celebrations in Taksim Square are based on entirely spurious security and public order grounds and must be urgently lifted,” said Dinushika Dissanayake, Amnesty’s Europe expert. As in previous years, the square has been cordoned off with metal barricades and a heavy police presence for several days.