Turkish police arrested over 500 people during May Day protests in Istanbul Friday, using tear gas to disperse crowds attempting to march to Taksim Square.
Istanbul's governor's office said 575 people were arrested by 6 PM for defying security measures. Riot police set up metal barricades around Taksim Square, the historic site of many past protests, which had been sealed off overnight.
Images from opposition channel HALK TV showed the president of the Turkish Workers' Party, Erkan Bas, engulfed in pepper spray. He said: "Those in power already speak 365 days a year, so let workers talk about the hardships they face at least one day a year."
Union official Basaran Aksu was arrested after denouncing the lockdown, saying: "You can't close off a square to the workers of Türkiye."
May Day celebrations in Türkiye always see heavy police deployment. Last year, over 400 were arrested in the Kadikoy district.
In the Mecidiyekoy district, police used tear gas on Marxist party members trying to push through barricades. In Besiktas, police intervened violently whenever demonstrators chanted slogans.
Unions and civil society groups called for the demonstrations under the slogan "Bread. Peace. Freedom."
Turkey's official inflation rate is 30%, but independent estimates put it closer to 40%.
In Ankara, about 100 coal miners who had staged a nine-day hunger strike for wage arrears were cheered as they joined May Day marches.
Earlier this week, Turkish authorities issued arrest and search warrants against 62 people suspected of being "likely to carry out attacks," including journalists, trade unionists, and opposition figures.