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Opposition, labor unions under fire for leaving May Day march due to police blockade

Turkish Minute

Turkish riot police stand guard at the Saraçhane Park aqueduct as they stave off a march on Taksim Square, during a May Day rally, marking International Workers' Day, in İstanbul, on May 1, 2024. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)

May Day events in İstanbul were marked by tension and controversy when the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and labor unions decided to call off their planned march to Taksim Square due to a police blockade, leading to criticism from various political parties and activists.

The May Day Committee, which includes prominent trade unions such as the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DİSK) and the Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (KESK), had originally called for a march to the city’s central Taksim Square, which is historically a symbolic place for demonstrations for workers’ rights.

The CHP and labor unions had urged the government to open the square for rallies, but President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned against any provocation on Tuesday.

Thousands of police officers were deployed throughout İstanbul, blocking off even small side streets with metal barriers to prevent groups of demonstrators from gathering.

The authorities have banned rallies in Taksim Square since the protests against then-prime minister Erdoğan’s government in 2013.

The main roads in İstanbul were closed to traffic on Wednesday, and public transportation, including ferries and subways, was halted.

Despite an earlier ruling by the Constitutional Court that a blockade of the square for demonstrations was a violation of the law, the authorities maintained a heavy police presence to prevent the march from reaching its planned destination.

CHP leader Özgür Özel, accompanied by İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and the labor unions, gathered in Saraçhane, where city hall is located.

“We will continue to fight until Taksim is free,” Özel initially said, but then left the square with his security detail after the May Day Committee canceled the planned march.

The decision to cancel the march and hold the event in nearby Saraçhane Park instead was met with jeers from the crowd gathered to walk to Taksim Square. The abrupt change of plans, justified by the unions’ concern for public safety in the face of the massive police deployment, led to what was widely seen as a retreat from the area.

İstanbul under ‘emergency rule’

In the wake of insistence by labor unions and some political parties to hold a May Day demonstration in Taksim, the İstanbul Governor’s Office announced measures aimed at slowing public transportation across the city on Wednesday.

The İstanbul police also set up barricades and fences around Taksim Square to prevent the demonstrators from reaching the area on Wednesday. More than 42,000 law enforcement officers were on duty in İstanbul on May Day.

Some likened the measures taken by the police and the governor’s office to a temporary emergency rule in Turkey’s most densely populated city.

The heavy police presence was crystallized in a picture of a police line in front of a historic Roman aqueduct in the old city of İstanbul, effectively cutting off traffic on the road to Taksim Square with officers and anti-riot vehicles.

Police used tear gas and water cannons to stop the protesters, who continued to march despite the CHP and labor unions’ canceling the planned march, detaining 217 people across the city.

The Left (SOL) Party and the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) spoke out strongly against the May Day Committee decision. The SOL Party accused the decision-makers of abandoning the workers.

TKP General Secretary Kemal Okuyan criticized the leadership of DİSK and KESK for not taking responsibility for the thousands who had come and called the incident a serious act of irresponsibility.

Criticism also came from the ranks of the CHP. The CHP’s response, or lack thereof, was criticized by commentators and party members alike. They argued that the party should have anticipated the actions of the police and countered them more effectively.

Canan Kaftancıoğlu, a former İstanbul provincial chairwoman of the CHP, indicated that if the marchers had stood their ground, they would have been a strong symbol of resistance against the government’s authoritarian policies.

Others defended the decision, pointing to the risks and dangers posed by the police blockade. “The police were determined to prevent the march, and it would have been foolish to continue the march in the face of such resistance,” said Arzu Çerkezoğlu, the chairwoman of DİSK. “We had to prioritize the safety of our members and supporters.”

“The government’s policies are aimed at suppressing the labor movement and silencing workers’ voices,” said Okuyan. “The opposition and labor unions must continue to stand up for workers’ rights and challenge the government’s authoritarian policies.”

Public figures expressed their discontent on social media.

“If Özgür Özel had taken a megaphone to say there is a violation of the constitution and officially put this on the record, it would have made headlines around the world. Instead, he preferred to ride back in his Audi. The crowd was left alone. That was not right!” journalist Erk Acarer tweeted.

“Shame on you, DİSK. You should have just sat down there,” Mücella Yapıcı, a board member of the Turkish Union of Engineers and Architects Chambers (TMMOB), tweeted.

Journalist Gökhan Görür tweeted about the perceived abandonment of protesters by the unions and CHP, tweeting, “The so-called revolutionary workers’ unions DİSK and KESK led the crowd but then announced the end of the protest from their bus and left the scene without looking back. The same goes for the CHP.”

“Only the revolutionaries, communists, socialists, workers and laborers wanted to go to Taksim,” he added.

“Expecting miracles from an opposition that recently called people to Tandoğan and then went silent is wrong. Yesterday’s actions show how disconnected the party is from its base, and how close it is to the state,” Yavuz Baydar, a veteran journalist tweeted referring to previous calls to action by the CHP that did not lead to protests.

Critics have long been accusing the main opposition party, the CHP, of politicizing within the red lines set by Erdoğan and not putting up strong resistance that could challenge the president’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

They claim that the CHP does not oppose the AKP’s policies when it comes to groups systematically targeted by the state apparatus, such as Kurds and members of faith-based Gülen movement, who have been the target of an intense government crackdown since a failed coup in 2016.

Turkish government blames the Gülen movement, inspired by US-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, for the 2016 coup attempt.

The group denies involvement in the abortive putsch and describes itself as a peaceful civil society organization focused on education, charity and interfaith dialogue.

However, the government has classified it as a terrorist organization and has since arrested thousands of people associated with it, including journalists, academics and civil servants.

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