Erdogan regime lets hundreds arrest in rallies in Istanbul-Diepresse.com
407 people were custody due to violations of the meeting law.
In the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul, hundreds of people have been arrested in protests for May 1st. 407 people were custody due to violations of the meeting law, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on platform X.
Many of those arrested in Istanbul had probably tried to get to the symbolic and closed Taksim-Platz in the European Center of the city. Demonstrations have been prohibited there for years. At the instruction of the governor office, barricades were built in the city of Barricades, which paralyzed large parts of the center, for example by roadblocks. Dozens of metro, bus and tram stations were temporarily not hit, ferries were interrupted and parking garages were closed.
In principle, meetings on Taksimplatz banned
With just a few exceptions, meetings on Taksimplatz are generally prohibited. In the past, he was often the scene of protemocratic demonstrations, especially during the Gezi protests in 2013. As in previous years, the police had closed up the place several days earlier.
In two districts on the Asian side of Istanbul, demonstrations organized by unions were approved with several thousand participants, as recordings in local media and AFP journalists showed. The symbolic Taksimplatz must « be snatched from the oppressive regime, » said Özgür Özel, chairman of the largest oppositional party, at one of the rallies.
Protest wave to İmamoğlus arrest
A massive wave of protests occurred in Istanbul at the end of March after the popular Mayor of Istanbul was arrested and CHP politician Ekrem Imamoglu. Imamoglu is the most promising rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to the authorities, almost 2,000 people had been arrested in the protests.
More than 60,000 people in other parts of the city took part in approved protests on the day of work, as the Governor Office announced. There were more than 50,000 police officers in the city.
In cities such as Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Antakya or Kayseri, people also took to the streets for the day of work. According to Yerlikaya, more than 280,000 people nationwide took part in events. (APA/dpa)
