Police intervention against May Day celebrations in Ankara, İzmir

* Photos: DİSK

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

Despite the bans of governor's offices, the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK), Confederation of Public Employees Trade Unions (KESK), Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) and Turkish Medical Association (TTB) celebrated May 1 Labor Day today (April 29) ahead of the 17-day 'full lockdown' as of this midnight.

Gathering with the DİSK's slogan of "Everyday is May Day, everywhere is May Day", workers held commemoration ceremonies and celebrations in city centers and workplaces across the country.

In İstanbul, commemoration ceremonies were held in Şişhane and Kadıköy. Before the celebrations, the ones who lost their lives on May 1, 1977 in Taksim were commemorated in Kazancı Slope.

The police intervened against the celebrations in Ankara and İzmir. Inflicting violence on workers in the capital city of Ankara, the police also took several people into custody in the Aegean province of İzmir.

CLICK - 1 May 1977 e-book is online

'Bloody First of May' commemorated in İstanbul

Representatives from labor unions, occupational organizations and political parties met in Taksim's Kazancı Slope to commemorate the 34 people who were massacred in Taksim on May 1, 1977.

DİSK Chair Arzu Çerkezoğlu, TTB Central Council Chair Şebnem Korur Fincancı, KESK and TMMOB executives, İstanbul Medical Chamber Chair Prof. Pınar Saip, MPs from the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Labor Party (EMEP) Chair Ercüment Akdeniz attended the commemoration along with several others.

'Pandemic has made life more difficult'

Speaking at the ceremony, DİSK Chair Çerkezoğlu said:

"Here, after 44 years, we know that May Day is the history of the class struggle and democracy struggle in this country. Our Founding Chair Kemal Türkler was massacred in this struggle.

"We have our word to our all comrades that we have lost: We will claim their memory and the future of this country and build a country where the real culprits of the massacres are put on trial and brought to account and where democracy and equality prevail. We reiterate our word here today. We are once again crying out loud that we will build the bright future of this country. The flags of the ones massacred in 1977 are in our hands."

Reminding the public that May Day is once again marked amid pandemic, Çerkezoğlu raised concerns that the life conditions of laborers have become more difficult with the outbreak of the pandemic.

Underlining that "the working class is not included within the scope of the measures called full lockdown", Çerkezoğlu briefly said:

"They called it full lockdown, but over 60 percent of workers work. A full lockdown where workers go to work tomorrow is not possible. To us, there is no full lockdown, there is class-based discrimination."

Noting that "the ones who make workers work for hours in workplaces prevent them from coming together in open spaces" for May Day celebrations, Çerkezoğlu said, "Nowhere in the world is May Day banned at any time in history. We are here today just to spite all bans."

Çerkezoğlu reiterated that they will celebrate May Day and hold their celebrations with enthusiasm in squares, raising the requests of the ones who lost their lives and carrying their struggle to the present.

Police attack in Ankara and İzmir

In the capital city of Ankara, the celebrations would be held in Sakarya Street. However, the police did not allow the demonstration. In response to this hindrance, workers wanted to march to the Central Office of the KESK confederation and hold their press statement there.

Right after the press statement, a police officer said, "Get off, man", which sparked a row and clash. The police intervened against the representatives of occupational organizations with pepper gas, detaining many.

In its first statement about the issue, the Left Party said, "In Ankara, police attacked the Left Party after the May Day statement. Our several friends have been injured." In a second statement right after the incident, the party said that the police provoked them by hurling insults.

Ankara'da özel provokasyonla polis Partimize saldırdı. #FaşizmiYeneceğiz #1MayısYasaklanamaz #HerYer1Mayıs pic.twitter.com/9K9S3jvJl7

— SOL Parti (@solpartibilgi) April 29, 2021

İn İzmir, the May Day celebrations were to be held in Konak Kemeraltı. Before the press statement, the police intervened against workers there, taking three people into custody. The detained were released with the intervention of the labor union executives.

While detaining one worker, a police officer was seen to be putting his knee on his neck in a way that would prevent him from breathing. A press statement was held following this intervention.

May Day was also celebrated in Adana, Kayseri, Antalya, Bursa, Van, Diyarbakır, Antep, Edirne, Tekirdağ and Kırklareli. (HA/SD)