(1 May 2014) Clashes erupted in Istanbul on Thursday between May Day demonstrators and riot police as crowds marched towards Taksim Square, aiming to defy a government ban.
Security forces pushed back demonstrators with water cannon and tear gas to prevent them from reaching the square.
Protesters retaliated by throwing objects at police and launching firecrackers.
Demonstrators massed at spots throughout the city, as well as in other cities in Turkey, determined to mark International Workers' Day at Taksim on Thursday.
Several people were detained in the city's Besiktas district.
Before being declared a national holiday in 2009, May 1 was a day of conflict that often led to violence across Turkey.
Taksim is symbolic for Turkey's labour movement. In 1977, 34 people were killed in the square during a May Day event when shots were fired into the crowd from a nearby building.
In Greece, May Day brought over 15 thousand demonstrators to the streets of Athens, but this time for a peaceful rally against the country's austerity measures.
The General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE), the largest trade union in the country, opposed austerity measures imposed in return for Greece's bailout four years ago, arguing that they destroyed efforts to establish labour rights.
The country's 240 billion euro (332 billion dollars) bailout by Eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund came with harsh cost-cutting measures that prompted many rallies and 37 general strikes across the country.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
