MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Several demonstrators were detained on Taksim Square in downtown Istanbul, after they reached it by ignoring a police blockade in place for May Day, according to local media.
#Beşiktaş'ta son durum: Bekleyişe devam. Halaylar çekiliyor. Polis helikopteri alan üzerinde turluyor #1Mayis pic.twitter.com/0FKRSOhI7R
— Selin Girit (@selingirit) 1 мая 2015
Police detained another five people in central Istanbul for carrying gas masks and marbles, Today's Zaman newspaper reported.
⚡️#Turkish policeman who was detaining #MayDay demonstrator in #Taksim #Istanbul kicks away an approaching stray dog pic.twitter.com/yjNQiEfcdT
— Mete Sohtaoğlu (@metesohtaoglu) 1 мая 2015
On Wednesday, the Istanbul Governorate declared that Taksim Square would be closed to the public on May Day for security reasons, after major protests broke out there on the holiday in 2013 and 2014, which led to weeks-long anti-government unrest across the country.
President Recep Tayip Erdogan's security law, adopted in January, has been condemned by the opposition, which considers it to be stifling anti-government protest.
The legislation expands police powers, authorizing them to search people when there are "reasonable doubts" and detain them for an indefinite amount of time.
