The square the state declared off-limits, the movement refuses to abandon
Each year on May Day, Istanbul's Taksim Square becomes a quiet measure of how much space a government is willing to grant its workers — and how much those workers are willing to demand. In 2026, as in years past, the answer came in the form of tear gas and water cannons: more than 500 people arrested, a square sealed before dawn, and a labor movement that refused, once again, to simply stay away. The ban on public gatherings at Taksim, in place since 2013, has transformed what was once a celebration into an annual reckoning between state authority and the enduring human claim to be seen and heard.
- Turkish police sealed off Taksim Square overnight, deploying water cannons and tear gas against May Day marchers who attempted to reach the plaza that has been banned from public assembly since 2013.
- More than 500 people were arrested across Istanbul, including Erkan Bas, president of the Turkish Workers' Party, who was detained after his group broke through a police line in the Mecidiyekoy neighborhood.
- While Istanbul's symbolic center remained locked down, authorities permitted May Day gatherings in other districts and cities — Kadikoy, Kartal, Ankara, Izmir, and Diyarbakır — creating a fractured, uneven landscape of permitted and suppressed protest.
- Opposition leaders and lawyers' groups documented the arrests and publicly challenged the Taksim ban as illegal, framing the crackdown not as a security measure but as a violation of the right to assemble.
- President Erdogan offered workers a congratulatory message online even as police dispersed them in the streets, a contrast that sharpened the tension between official rhetoric and the reality on the ground.
On the morning of May 1st, Turkish police sealed off Taksim Square before the crowds could arrive. By nightfall, more than 500 people had been arrested across Istanbul, and the smell of tear gas lingered in several neighborhoods. The square — the symbolic center of Turkey's labor movement — has been closed to public gatherings since 2013, and each International Labour Day renews the confrontation between that restriction and the workers who refuse to accept it.
In Mecidiyekoy, a large group attempting to march toward Taksim was surrounded by police. Among them was Erkan Bas, president of the Turkish Workers' Party, whose group broke through the police line before being dispersed with water cannons and tear gas. Bas afterward called the ban on Taksim Square illegal and demanded it be lifted.
Elsewhere in Turkey, the day unfolded differently. Authorities permitted rallies in Istanbul's Kadikoy and Kartal districts, as well as in Ankara, Izmir, Diyarbakır, and cities stretching from Bursa to Corum. Trade unions organized events across the country, and many proceeded without incident — though security was heavy at every permitted venue.
The CHD, a lawyers' group present at the demonstrations, documented the scale of the arrests. President Erdogan, meanwhile, posted a message praising workers who 'earn their living through their labor' — words that rang hollow against the backdrop of dispersals happening in the streets below. The standoff over Taksim Square remains unresolved, its meaning renewed each May Day: a place the state has closed, and a place the labor movement continues to claim as its own.
On the morning of May 1st, Turkish police sealed off Taksim Square in Istanbul, the symbolic heart of the country's labor movement. By day's end, more than 500 people had been arrested at May Day demonstrations across the city, and the air in several neighborhoods carried the sharp sting of tear gas.
Taksim Square has been closed to public gatherings since 2013, a restriction that has become a flashpoint each year when International Labour Day brings workers and union members into the streets. This year was no different. Police established a security perimeter overnight, determined to prevent the crowds that traditionally converge on the plaza from reaching it. The strategy worked in some places, failed in others, and created scenes of confrontation throughout Istanbul's districts.
In the Mecidiyekoy neighborhood, a large gathering of people intent on marching toward Taksim found themselves surrounded by police. Among them was Erkan Bas, president of the Turkish Workers' Party, who was part of a group that broke through the police line. Water cannons and tear gas dispersed the crowd. Bas later issued a statement calling the ban on Taksim Square "illegal" and demanding it be opened to public assembly.
Across the rest of Turkey, the picture was more varied. In Ankara, several groups assembled at Tandogan Square without incident. The governor's office had granted permission for celebrations in Kadikoy and Kartal, neighborhoods in Istanbul where May Day events proceeded. In Izmir, demonstrators gathered at Gundogdu Square; in Diyarbakır, at Istasyon Square. Trade unions organized rallies in cities stretching from Bursa to Corum. Security was heavy at the entrances to all permitted gathering places, with extensive measures in place since early Friday morning.
The CHD, a lawyers' group present at the rallies, documented the arrests. The scale of the police response—more than 500 detained—reflected the government's determination to maintain control over how and where labor demonstrations could occur. The use of tear gas and water cannons signaled that resistance to the police lines would be met with force.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan posted a message on X offering congratulations to workers on Labour and Solidarity Day, praising those who "earn their living through their labor and create added value for their country." The statement stood in stark contrast to the scenes of dispersal happening in the streets below, where workers attempting to exercise that labor movement's traditional right to assemble were being arrested and gassed.
The tension between the government's restrictions and the labor movement's insistence on access to Taksim Square remains unresolved. Each May 1st, the square becomes a test of that conflict—a place the state has declared off-limits, and a place the movement continues to claim as its own.
Notable Quotes
Blocking access to Taksim Square was illegal and the square should be opened— Erkan Bas, president of the Turkish Workers' Party
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Taksim Square matter so much that the government felt it needed to ban demonstrations there?
It's the symbolic center of Turkey's labor movement and has hosted major protests against the government. By banning it, authorities control where workers can gather and what message they can send.
But they allowed celebrations in other cities. Why permit some and not others?
The permitted squares are in neighborhoods the government deemed manageable or less politically significant. Taksim is different—it's central, it's historic, it's where the movement's power is most visible.
What does it mean that Erkan Bas, a political party leader, was tear-gassed?
It signals that the restrictions apply to everyone, regardless of status. When a party president is dispersed like any other protester, it underscores how seriously the government takes the ban.
Is 500 arrests a lot for a May Day rally?
It's significant. It shows the scale of people willing to challenge the restrictions, and the scale of the police response needed to enforce them.
What happens next year?
The same thing will likely happen. The ban has been in place since 2013. Until the government changes that policy, May 1st will remain a day of confrontation.