While May Day celebrations led to tension and clashes between police and protesters in İstanbul due to a ban on Taksim Square hosting a mass rally.

Roughly half of Istanbul’s 40,000-strong police force was drafted in to the center of the city to block access to Taksim Square, earlier placed off limits by authorities to a march organized by trade unions.Turkish riot police in Istanbul fired water cannons and teargas  to disperse tens of thousands of May Day protesters.

Representatives from labor unions and the public gathered in the central squares of Anatolian cities, chanted slogans and carried banners.

The venue for the May Day celebration in Ankara was Sıhhiye Square, where police put in place heavy security measures for the day. Groups gathered in front of the Ankara Train Station early on Wednesday and marched toward the square, where speeches were made.

In İzmir, celebrations were held mainly in Alsancak Gündoğdu Square and Bornova Cumhuriyet Square.

In Hakkari, thousands of people danced the halay while local singers sang Kurdish folksongs. In Kars, groups gathered in Cumhuriyet Square, where representatives from labor unions made speeches to mark the day.

[adrotate group=”10″]