Turkey: Union officials marching for May Day arrested

Text by: Anne Andlauer

Turkish police arrested several union officials who marched in Istanbul to mark Labor Day on Friday despite an exit ban to fight the new coronavirus pandemic. Turkey has registered more than 120,000 cases and 3,100 deaths.

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With our correspondent in Istanbul

Since the beginning of the morning, the police have surrounded the Istanbul headquarters of the DISK trade union confederation, which had announced the day before its intention to march despite an order of total confinement and a ban on demonstrations. When about fifty people - masks on their faces - started to set off, the police intervened, placing 25 people in police custody, including the director of DISK, Arzu Çerkezoğlu.

On her Twitter account, the latter immediately accused the power to ban demonstrations in the name of social distancing rules, but to let the virus spread in the workplace - since total confinement in Turkey is only in force weekends and holidays.

Gözaltındayız!
Bugün Türkiye'nin dört bir yanında işçi arkadaşlar çalışıyor o kamu düzeni bozulmuyor ama işçilerin # 1Mayıs kutlaması kamu düzenini bozarmış! pic.twitter.com/cEffiqrVhx

Opposition deputies appeared in the procession, which should have gone to the famous Taksim Square carrying a wreath. These deputies finally obtained the authorization to go and lay the red and white wreath - although very damaged - on this symbolic place of May 1 in Turkey. Elsewhere in Istanbul, police intervened against at least two other rallies.

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• Turkey
• Unions
• Confinement
• Coronavirus