Gezi commemoration met with heavy police crackdown: 95 detained

Taksim Solidarity Coordination had called for a commemoration under the slogan “Darkness will go, Gezi remains.” In response, İstanbul’s Beyoğlu district saw a heavy police presence, with barricades erected early in the day and riot police stationed at key locations. All side streets leading to İstiklal Avenue and Galatasaray Square were sealed off.

As coordination members were removed from İstiklal Avenue, demonstrators regrouped in side streets, particularly Mis Street, which became the focal point of the gathering.

The protest included participation from DEM Party MPs Kezban Konukçu and Çiçek Otlu. A memorial for those killed during the Gezi protests began with reading out their names, followed by slogans such as “Everywhere is Taksim, everywhere is resistance” and “Long live revolution and socialism.” Protesters also paid tribute to the late DEM Party MP and Parliamentary Deputy Speaker Sırrı Süreyya Önder, who passed away on May 3, with chants promising to bring peace in his memory.

Police crackdown and detentions

Following a press statement, student groups attempting to march toward Taksim were met with police intervention. Security forces blocked members of the press from filming and reportedly used physical force to detain protesters.

The İstanbul branch of the Contemporary Lawyers Association (ÇHD) reported that 95 people were taken into custody, including one minor. 83 of them were released on May 31, while the remaining 12 were released yesterday (June 1) after appearing at İstanbul’s Çağlayan Courthouse.

(AB/EMK/DT)