An appeals court in İstanbul has ruled that a ban on May Day celebrations in the city’s central Taksim Square in 2024 was unlawful, marking a rare legal victory for labor unions in their long-running struggle to hold demonstrations at the iconic site, the BirGün daily reported.
The Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DİSK) filed a lawsuit after the İstanbul Governor’s Office rejected its request to hold the 2024 International Workers’ Day demonstration in Taksim. Police blocked access to the square with barricades in the Saraçhane area, preventing participants from marching to the site.
(Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
The İstanbul Administrative Court initially dismissed the case, but DİSK appealed. The İstanbul Regional Administrative Court, which acts as a regional appeals court, sided with the union, annulling the governor’s decision and ruling that the ban violated the law. The decision is final, with no further appeal possible.
In announcing the ruling, DİSK said on X on Wednesday that the court explicitly acknowledged Taksim Square’s “historical and symbolic significance” for May Day and affirmed that workers and unions cannot be arbitrarily prevented from assembling there.
The union noted the decision aligns with previous rulings by the European Court of Human Rights and Turkey’s Constitutional Court recognizing Taksim as a traditional May Day venue.
The Constitutional Court found in 2023 that the restriction on May Day rallies in the square violated unions’ rights to freedom of assembly.
“Our historical and social legitimacy has once again been confirmed by a court ruling,” DİSK said. “We call on those who govern the country to stop defying court decisions and abide by the law.”
Taksim Square has long been a focal point for labor protests in Turkey, especially since snipers opened fire on demonstrators there on May 1, 1977, killing 34 people.
Turkish authorities have frequently restricted access to the square in the decades since, citing security concerns, while unions argue such bans violate the constitutional right to peaceful assembly.
Since the anti-government Gazi Park protests in 2013 that spread across Turkey and were violently suppressed by the police, claiming eight lives, the government has prohibited gatherings in Taksim, not only for May Day but also International Women’s Day and Pride marches.
Extraordinary security measures are taken throughout İstanbul ahead of May Day. The İstanbul Governor’s Office imposes restrictions including road closures and a heavy police presence around central neighborhoods and public transit routes to prevent the demonstrations from marching to Taksim Square, which lead to dozens of detentions every year.