Clashes broke out on May 1 when protesters tried to defy a ban on gatherings on Istanbul’s iconic Taksim Square.
Turkish police detained 29 people in early morning raids on Friday over Labour Day protests in Istanbul that turned violent, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said.
Some 220 had already been arrested during the violence that erupted when police tried to prevent protesters from marching on the city’s Taksim Square; the government had banned Labour Day events on the square, which is a favourite gathering point for unions and left-wing political parties.
“What is necessary is done,” Yerlikaya wrote on X, announcing the new arrests. He said that the 29 had been identified via surveillance camera footage and facial recognition.
“We will catch those who attacked our heroic police officers one by one and bring them to justice,” he wrote.
Turkish police used batons, tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters; the interior ministry said that 28 police officers were injured.
Dozens of protesters were also reported injured and Dokuz8News journalist Fatos Erdogan was hit by rubber bullets.
In 2023, Turkey’s Constitutional Court ruled that the ban on May 1 celebration on Taksim Square was “unconstitutional” but the government revived it this year, citing a “terror threat”.
