Demonstration banned in Istanbul's Taksim Square

Turkish authorities have banned a May Day demonstration in Taksim Square in central Istanbul, Azernews reports, citing Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya as he telling to reporters about this.

"At the moment, all applications for holding 103 events in 55 provinces of the country on the occasion of Labor and Solidarity Day have been satisfied. The exception is the city of Istanbul, which will receive 17.5 million tourists in 2023. It is the center of education, culture, art, trade and industry of our country," the minister said.

According to him, last week some terrorist organizations called on their supporters to take part in a demonstration in the Taksim area on social networks.

At the same time, Ali Yerlikaya said that representatives of trade unions applying to hold events in Taksim on May 1 can lay flowers and make a statement in front of the monument erected in honor of the Turkish Republic. However, it is forbidden to hold other events on and near the square.
Noting that 40 places have been reserved for events related to the "Labor and Solidarity Day" in Istanbul, the minister said that more than 42 thousand police officers are involved in ensuring security in the city.

Recall that the first mass march on May 1 in Istanbul's Taksim Square was organized by trade unions in 1976. A year later, as a result of clashes that occurred during an event held there, about 40 people were killed and more than 200 people were injured. In recent years, demonstrations on May 1 in Taksim have not been allowed.