(1 May 2019) Turkish police detained May Day demonstrators who tried to march toward Istanbul's symbolic main square in defiance of a ban on Wednesday.
Turkey declared Taksim Square off-limits to May Day celebrations citing security concerns.
Roads leading to the square were blocked Wednesday and police allowed only small groups of labour union representatives to lay wreaths at a monument.
Still, small groups attempted to break the blockade, chanting "May Day is Taksim and it cannot be banned."
The official Anadolu news agency said more than two dozen people were detained.
Trade unions and political parties will mark the day with rallies at government-designated areas in Istanbul and the capital, Ankara.
Taksim holds symbolic value for Turkey's labour movement. In 1977, 34 people were killed there during a May Day event when shots were fired into the crowd from a nearby building.
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