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Hundreds of people were arrested in Istanbul, with 50,000 police officers who are deployed in the city, while the authorities try to fight during protests from May day.
Public transport was closed to prevent people from reaching Taksim Square, where demonstrations have been forbidden since 2013.
Images of the Turkish capital showed collisions between riot police and demonstrators with demonstrators who sing while the police moved prisoners to buses.
The city saw enormous protests in March after the arrest of the mayor Ekrem Imamoglu – the most important rival of Turkish President Erdogan.
On 1 May every year, Marsen led by employees and trade unions are held in many countries as part of the International Labor Day parties.
Taksim Square – the heart of Istanbul – was under a tight lock, with police and metal barriers along all roads that led to the area.
Authorities were determined, perhaps this year more than ever, to ensure that there were no large protests on the square, and they had enough riot police to ensure that.
The square, normally busy with bustling crowds, looked lifeless, closed with restaurants and shops.
The only road along the police lines was with permission. Several trade unions were briefly allowed on Taksim, with red banners and flowers.
Standing in front of the monument of the Republic, which commemorates the establishment of modern Turkey in 1923, a speaker complained about the limitations with which they were confronted. Trucks with water canon parked a short distance.
On roads that led to the square, groups of tourists occasionally passed by, dragging suitcases, uncertain about where they could go and were unable to reach taxis.
The square was closed for a few days before 1 May, according to AFP News Agency.
A student named Murat said that streets were “blocked … as if it were a state of emergency,” he said AFP.
“We were not allowed in the squares … We were taken from the streets in small groups under torture. It is not a situation that we are confronted with for the first time. It will probably not be the last.”
100 people were held on Wednesday because they intend to protest on the square.
The authorities of the city said on Thursday that 382 people had been arrested for “non-authorized demonstrations”.
Rights Group Amnesty International has encouraged Turkey to lift the ban on demonstrations in Taksim.
The limitations “are based on completely false security and public order land,” said Dinushika Dissanayake, the specialist of an amnesty in Europe.
In a statement, the group of officials called on the right to protest and “not use violence against peaceful demonstrators”.
The arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu in March caused mass protests in the streets of Istanbul when hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy demarters came forward to support the mayor of Istanbul, which is held in prison for corruption decisions.
He said that his arrest is political, but the government has denied this and insists that the Turkish courts are completely independent.
Mayor Since 2019, Imamoglu is generally seen as the only politician who can challenge Erdogan in the 2028 elections. Imamoglu was confirmed as the candidate of the opposition party while he was in custody.
Erdogan has been in power for more than 20 years, first as Prime Minister as president from 2014. He can no longer run for the presidency after 2028 – unless he changes the Constitution of Turkey.
