Yesterday was international labor day, a day that celebrates the rights and achievements of workers around the world. In most places peaceful demonstrations are held during labor day. Yesterday here in Istanbul, it was a full out battle, with the police finishing way a head. There was teargas, fire houses, and beatings a plenty throughout the day. The labor parties head quarters was stormed by police and tear gassed, a hospital was tear gassed, numerous groups of demonstrators scattered through the city were gassed and beaten. Demonstrators wanted to hold demonstrations in the city’s historic Taksim square. However 20,000 police barricaded the square and refused to let demonstrators near the square. Entire areas of Istanbul ended up getting tear gassed to clear out protesters. Although I personally did not get there in time to witness any of the fighting (the governor ordered most of the strategic teargassing early in the morning, including the hospital), I did witness the huge police force. I would have my own shots and videos from Taksim square, but while I was on my way there (walking was the only way to get anywhere nearby), something very urgent came up and I had to run. So here are some of my pictures, and some other people’s pictures/videos that I pulled off of YouTube.
A random video I found on YouTube
Another random video I found on YouTube
Here are some pictures I took myself. I noticed the reporters, police and protesters all had gas masks.
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May 6th, 2008 at 11:26 am
well, the situation got out of hand and it is really stupid how it got there. last year the crowd in taksim was so huge it stopped traffic for hours. so this year the government says you can’t go there to these guys but they are all hell no we are going. so in order to prevent massive traffic(or to prove their might rather) the government shut down the subs, some ferrys and some other public transportation as well as placing all the barricades and the po-lice.