May Day Protests: What Is May Day? Why Were Demonstrators Banned From Istanbul’s Main Square?

May Day is also known as International Worker's Day and is a celebration of the working people. May Day is a national holiday in more than 80 countries. In Turkey, May Day is celebrated as an official holiday, and is normally celebrated in Istanbul's Taksim Square. May Day is considered a significant holiday for Turkey due to the Taksim Square massacre. On May 1, 1977 in the wave of political violence, shots were fired into the crowd of about 500,000 working people celebrating May Day, about 40 people were killed and nearly 200 injured in the panic that ensued following the shots.

This events marks May Day as a symbolic holiday for the working people and left wing groups but also serves as a memory of those who died in the Taksim Square. Following the incident no one was ever charged for the massacre and finally the statue of limitations ran out on the case.

This year the Turkish government placed a ban on celebrating May Day in Taksim Square, citing construction safety risks. The square serves as Istanbul's main hub and is currently under restorative construction. However, violence erupted between police and protesters when hundreds of May Day loyalists attempted to navigate over barricades to reach Taksim Square. Some protestors even went so far as to throw large stones, gasoline powered bombs and fireworks at police. The police who were in place to control the riot responded with tear gas.

To attempt to control the mass of people headed for Taksim Square, subway, bus and ferry services across the Bosporus were partially suspended and bridges were closed down to prevent access. Even still hundreds of demonstrators held flags, shouted and continued attempts to access the square.

22,000 police officers were deployed to keep the peace in Istanbul. According to the Istanbul governor's office 20 protesters were arrested and at least 2 police injured during the clashes.

The government ban on celebration in Taksim Square incited many demonstrators; this violence came after 3 years of relatively peaceful May Day festivities.