May Day marchers clashed with police in Istanbul, Turkey, after Turkish police blocked access to a city square. (May 1)
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Istanbul, Turkey – 1 May, 2013
STORYLINE:
Police in the Turkish city of Istanbul clashed with scores of people taking part in May Day demonstrations on Wednesday.
The clashes broke out when a group of protesters tried to break a barricade preventing access to the city’s Taksim Square.
About 200 people gathered in the Besiktas neighbourhood and were preparing to march to the square when police deployed water cannons to try to disperse them.
The protesters retaliated by throwing stones.
Taksim Square has traditionally played host to the city’s largest May Day gatherings.
This year, however, the government has banned people from meeting there because of construction work going on in the square.
In 1977, 34 people were killed in Taksim Square when shots were fired into the crowd from a nearby building.
Security forces intervened and deployed armoured vehicles. Most of the casualties were a result of the chaos that ensued.
Tens of thousands are expected to flood the streets to observe May Day and march to the square despite the barricades that have been put up to prevent access.
Before being declared a national holiday in 2009, May 1 often marked conflict – leading to widespread violence across many cities in Turkey.
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