Istanbul police on Saturday detained over 60 people, who were trying to hold a May Day demonstration amid a recently introduced coronavirus lockdown, media reported
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st May, 2021) Istanbul police on Saturday detained over 60 people, who were trying to hold a May Day demonstration amid a recently introduced coronavirus lockdown, media reported.
According to Haberturk broadcaster, several groups of demonstrators gathered to march on Saturday to Taksim Square in Istanbul, which was preemptively cordoned off by the police. Officers did not allow the activists to go to the square and detained over 60 of them. Nearby subway stations were also closed.
May Day was declared an official holiday in Turkey in 2009, but authorities have banned May Day demonstrations on Taksim Square, where 37 people were killed in 1977 as a result of shooting by far-right militants.
Earlier in April, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a complete lockdown in the country until May 17 over the surging COVID-19 crisis. Trips between cities are possible only with special permission. All organizations and institutions have halted their work, while students have returned to online classes. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Turkey has been growing steadily since the beginning of spring and has climbed to over a total of 4.8 million cases.
