Turkish police clash with May Day protesters

Turkish police have arrested dozens of people as anti-government protesters tried to breach a ban on access to the main Taksim Square in Istanbul to mark May Day.

Police fired rubber pellets at protesters in Istanbul on Monday during the May Day match.

The governor’s office in Istanbul said more than 200 people had been detained across the city

According to the governor’s office, security was tight across Turkey’s biggest city, with more than 30,000 members of the security forces deployed to deal with May Day celebrations,

Taksim Square was the home of May Day celebrations until 1977, when dozens of people were killed during demonstrations, which were dubbed the ‘Bloody May Day’.

The square was reopened for celebrations in the late 2000s but was shut again in 2013.

The main rallying point for this year’s celebrations is a Bakirkoy neighbourhood where tens of thousands of people are expected to demonstrate.

#Police uses #teargas against #demonstrators in #Istanbul at #MayDay #protest in #Turkey. https://t.co/ZAj3Edf4rl

— Saskia Steinhorst (@scruffy65) May 1, 2017

A total of 207 people have been detained,” the Istanbul governor’s office said in a statement, adding that some 40 Molotov cocktails, 17 hand grenades and 176 fireworks had been confiscated.