Turkish police detain over 400 individuals for unauthorised May Day demonstrations

A total of 409 people were detained across Türkiye for taking part in unauthorised Labour Day demonstrations, said Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya on X.

Yerlikaya said that 212 events were held in 78 provinces on May 1 to mark Labour and Solidarity Day, with approximately 286,584 participants nationwide, Caliber.Az reports.

1 Mayıs Emek ve Dayanışma Günü’nde, 78 ilimizde toplamda 286 bin 584 vatandaşımızın katılımıyla düzenlenen 212 etkinlik tamamlandı.

Etkinlikler kapsamında; 2911 Sayılı Toplantı ve Gösteri Yürüyüşleri Kanunu’na muhalefetten İstanbul’da 407, Tokat’ta 1 ve Van’da da 1 olmak üzere… pic.twitter.com/gCQklqlIhz

— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) May 1, 2025

However, authorities detained individuals for violating Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations. Of those arrested, 407 were in Istanbul, with one each in the provinces of Tokat and Van.

To recall, on May Day, pro-democracy activists seized the occasion to protest the imprisonment of Istanbul’s opposition mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu. His jailing in March had already prompted the largest protests seen in the country in over ten years.

According to a law association, more than 200 individuals were detained before midday near Taksim Square in central Istanbul, a historically significant location that has long been off-limits for May Day demonstrations.

In preparation for the protests, authorities restricted access to central Istanbul and suspended transit lines on May 1.

By Aghakazim Guliyev