On the occasion of the upcoming May Day, Turkish trade unions and professional associations in Istanbul commemorated the victims of bloody attacks on demonstrations of past days of struggle of the working class. The commemoration was organised by the Confederation of Revolutionary Workers' Unions (DISK), the Confederation of Public Service Unions (KESK), the Chamber of Architects and Engineers (TMMOB), the Turkish Dental Association (TDB) and the Turkish Medical Association (TTB). Among the many participants were representatives of the political opposition, including HDP deputies Sezai Temelli, Ali Kenanoğlu, Oya Ersoy, Züleyha Gülüm and Musa Piroğlu.

The gathering began at Taksim Square in the central Beyoğlu district where a massacre took place on May 1, 1977. At the time, well over 500,000 people from various provinces of the country took part in the Labor Day demonstration organized by DISK. Many of them had not even entered the square when the first shots were fired. Security forces then attacked the crowd 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.

Hostility toward the working class continues

"On May 1, 1977, people united by the common will of a working Turkey gathered in this square," DISK President Arzu Çerkezoğlu said after a moment of silence. "Young and old people from different professions and stands had come to express that things cannot continue with the then current order. But the assassins of the oppressive system were also among us. They took away our hope for a livable and free future beyond exploitation. This hostility towards the working class has continued uninterruptedly ever since," Çerkezoğlu said.

The trade unionist criticized that this year's mass May Day events have also been banned by the Turkish authorities. "Nevertheless, we will fight for our rights on our day in Maltepe Square," Çerkezoğlu said and added, "We call for the participation of all working people. Neither our struggle nor our voice can be banned."

Mehmet Akif Dalcı, Hasan Albayrak, Yalçın Levent and Dursun Adabaş commemorated

After the speech, red carnations were laid down in the square before the crowd started moving towards Şişhane. There, the 17-year-old worker Mehmet Akif Dalcı, who was deliberately shot by a police officer on May 1, 1989, was remembered. Those present also laid down red carnations for him. Leaflets were distributed during the route along Istiklal Avenue. Police interrupted the demonstration several times, but could not stop the shouting of slogans such as "Long live May Day" and "To the barricades against the exploiting corporate bosses." From Şişhane, the crowd continued to the other side of the Bosphorus, to the Asian district of Kadıköy. Here, the unions remembered Hasan Albayrak, Yalçın Levent and Dursun Adabaş. The three workers had been murdered by police during celebrations on May 1, 1996.