The authorities in Istanbul have stopped parts of the public transportation in the city center in an attempt to stop May 1st demonstrations.
"The number of arrested reported to us exceeds 400", writes the lawyer group CHD in a post on X. 100 people are said to have been arrested, suspected of planning a demonstration on Taksim Square, where demonstrations have been banned since 2013.
Journalists from the news agency AFP have witnessed tens of arrests in districts on the European side of the multi-million city.
May 1st takes place in the light of the power struggle that is ongoing between the government party and the main opposition party CPH, whose presidential candidate and also mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, was imprisoned in March for alleged corruption.
