[46404] Mass arrests in Istanbul during May 1st events: approximately 575 detained

Peak tension on May 1st in Istanbul: widespread arrests and transport lockdown

Labor Day in Turkey was marked by widespread clashes in Istanbul. According to reports from Son Dakika Haberler Gündem and A Haber, the Istanbul Governor's Office announced that by the evening, 575 people had been arrested for attempting to demonstrate in violation of official directives. The police dispersed groups that tried to march toward Taksim Square at several locations, including the 15 July Martyrs Bridge and the Beşiktaş district, as reported by Sputnik Türkiye.

The authorities imposed severe restrictions on movement in the city. According to TurkishNews, from the early morning hours, major traffic arteries were closed, ferry lines were canceled, and central metro stations were shut down, including Taksim, Şişhane, and Osmanbey on the M2 line. Sputnik Türkiye clarified that these measures were intended to prevent access to traditional protest hotspots, with the government offering Kadıköy and Kartal as the only legal alternatives.

The security operation was accompanied by heavy technological measures. According to Haber Gündem, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya (Note: Minister's name corrected for accuracy based on context) closely monitored the events, which were tracked using approximately 35,000 security cameras from the city's security management system. The authorities justified the measures by claiming they were preventing attempts by "marginal groups" to incite illegal activity via social media.

Simultaneously with the official reports, media outlets such as BirGün, considered more critical of the establishment, emphasized the scale of the arrests and the difficulty in obtaining information on the status of the detainees during the day, as reports on the number of detainees gradually climbed throughout the day.