Turkish authorities free detainees from May Day demonstrations

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Turkish Police use pepper spray to disperse demonstrators during a May Day (Labour Day) rally, marking international Workers’ Day, in Besiktas, a district of Istanbul, on May 1, 2026. Turkish police fired tear gas and arrested dozens of people holding May Day demonstrations in Istanbul, AFP journalists said. Two groups were specially singled out in the city’s European side after signalling their intention to march to Taksim square — the scene of several anti-government protests in the past — which was sealed off overnight by police. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)

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Turkish authorities have released more than 500 protesters arrested at May Day rallies in Istanbul, a lawyers’ association said Saturday.

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Police cracked down on Friday’s demonstrations, firing tear gas to break them up and arresting hundreds of people.

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All 576 people arrested were released by Saturday morning, including union official Basaran Aksu, the lawyers’ association CHD said on X.

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The association’s Istanbul branch had deployed members into the city’s streets to document arrests and aid those detained.

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The Istanbul governor’s office put the number of arrests at 575.

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Another 47 people were arrested on April 28 ahead of the planned May Day rallies, of whom four have been placed in custody and nine on house arrest, CHD said.

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The demonstrations were concentrated around Taksim Square, which the authorities have closed to rallies since a massive wave of anti-government protests in 2013.

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Aksu had condemned the authorities for imposing a lockdown on the square, a symbolic site often used for mass gatherings in Turkey.

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“You can’t close off a square to the workers of Turkey,” he said just before his arrest.

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“Everyone uses Taksim, for official ceremonies, for celebrations. Only the labourers, the workers, the poor find the square closed to them.”

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May Day, which celebrates workers and the working classes, sees a major police deployment in Turkey every year, with a large area in the heart of Istanbul sealed off.

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Unions and civil society associations had called for the May 1 rallies under the slogan “Bread. Peace. Freedom.”

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AFP

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