Authorities in Istanbul have arrested 92 individuals accused of calling for May 1st demonstrations at the city’s central Taksim Square. Although having been the site of numerous May 1st demonstrations previously, access to the square has been restricted by authorities in recent years, beginning in 2013.

The detainees include several leaders of the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), and members of several pro-worker collectives, magazines, and newspapers. The arrests were announced by Istanbul’s Chief Prosecutor early Tuesday (April 29).

The International Workers’ Day demonstrations on May 1st, long a flashpoint between demonstrators and Turkish authorities, have been met in recent years with riot police and tear gas. Last year, police stopped demonstrators marching from Istanbul’s Saraçhane city hall to Taksim Square at the historic Bozdoğan Aqueduct. The Istanbul Governor had announced

© Medyascope