Dozens of people were taken into custody in Istanbul on their way to central Taksim Square. Members of the Revolutionary Party (Devrimci Partisi) met at Osmanbey metro station in Şişli to walk to Taksim with a banner reading "In socialism lies hope - Long live May Day" and Turkish and Kurdish slogans. The group was encircled by police officers. Almost ten people were detained by use of force and taken away with handcuffs on their backs.

Two journalists were also detained while covering the demonstration. Mezopotamya Agency (MA) correspondent Doğan Kaynak and Rozerin Gültekin from the women's news agency JinNews were taken to a police van and their phones were taken away. After a while, they were released.

Likewise, students on their way from Beşiktaş to Taksim and members of the Social Freedom Party (TÖP) were stopped by the police. Several people were also detained here, including TÖP spokeswoman Perihan Koca.

Activists continue to try to bypass the police blockades and reach Taksim. The square in the center of Istanbul has a symbolic meaning. A massacre took place there on May 1, 1977. At the time, well over 500,000 people from various provinces of the country took part in a Labor Day demonstration. Many of them had not even entered the square when the first shots were fired. Security forces then attacked with armored vehicles, firing gas grenades and using water cannons. The number of casualties is still a disputed issue; according to official figures, 37 people were killed and about 200 injured. Some people remained on the spot, others ran away, were crowded into corners and run over by the armored vehicles. More than 500 people were arrested.