Withdraw Laws Against the People
Workers demanded the controversial bills and projects be withdrawn while also calling for an opening of the May Day 1977 massacre file and for those responsible for the killings together with those behind the 1980 military coup in Turkey to be put on trial. Protests referred to the 1977 demonstration in Istanbul's Taksim square where 37 protestors were killed in clashes with the police.
Observers interviewed by Bianet said participation in this year's May Day rally was lower compared to previous years but that this probably stemmed from it coinciding with a working day and that being the first day of the week.
They said, however, that despite some incidents the police were generally more tolerant in view of the celebrations and that a significant increase in the number of women, youth and homosexuals participating in the rally could be observed.
Groups gathering in the early hours of the morning at three points of the city marched to the Kadikoy square in three separate lines shouting slogans protesting the government and demanding it to resign. They were only allowed access to the Square after being heavily searched by the police.
City officials said 24 CCTV cameras and 6,000 police officers were used to monitor all May Day celebrations in the city while para-military gendarme forces were kept on standby.
Various unions, political parties and groups attended this year's main rally in Kadikoy including the Public Workers Unions Confederation (KESK), Revolutionary Workers Unions Confederation (DISK), Workers Unions Confederation of Turkey (TURK-IS), the Freedom and Solidarity Party (ODP), Party of Labour (EMEP), Democratic Society Party (DTP), Sociality Democracy Party (SDP), Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), Social Democrat Peoples' Party (SHP), Sociality Labour Movement (SEH), the Anarchists, the 78's group, Lamda Istanbul, Partizan as well as other magazine based groups and community centres Halkevi.
Social Security, counter-terrorism and F-types
In all of the slogans chanted and placards displayed during the meeting, the new Social Security Law, the government's proposed amendments to the terror law and the issue of F-type prison were under the spotlight.
Emekli-Sen, a union under DISK representing the retired, gathered under the slogan "care for us well, we are the last of the retired in this country" while TAYAD, representing families of prisoners and convicts protested the isolation practice in special F-type prison compounds, displaying enlarged photographs of those who loss their lives in these prisons and gathering under a massive placard protesting conditions.
Even the Besiktas Sport Club's Carsi (Market) group expressed itself in the May Day meeting with the placard "Carsi is against War too".
Some of the slogans chanted during the meeting were: "Do you know? You are now a terrorist too!", "No to the Anti-Terror Law", "We need more freedom, not a terror law ", "Political solution to the Kurdish problem", and "We won't let you sell the schools".
Pro-Kurdish DTP supporters chanted slogans in support of the organisation's imprisoned leader Abdullan Ocalan. But observers said Kurdish movement participation in this year's rally was also lower than previous years.
Aydin: Struggle against laws betraying the people
Abdullah Aydın, chairman of Turkey's Community Centres Halkevleri told Bianet in an interview during the meeting that they "continued a struggle based on the axis of poverty against the destruction caused by the new liberal exploitation laws".
"Launching from local societies, we have started a culture of struggle encompassing business places and neighbourhoods. We have been partially successful. We are struggling against the laws of betrayal that are being passed despite the will of the people" he said,.
Aydin said the new Anti-Terror Bill at parliament was on the agenda in order to silence the masses and that everyone needed to have determination to use their democratic rights in Turkey.
Yesil: Priority to struggle
TMMOB's Huseyin Yesil told Bianet in a separate interview that the struggle against Turkey's new social security law, anti-terror bill and the government's plans for nuclear power needed to be prioritised and brought to the forefront.
Make May Day Official
One of the most common demands of those attending the meeting was for May Day to be declared as an official holiday in Turkey as in other parts of the world where it could be celebrated freely. (KO-EO/TK-II(YE)