ISTANBUL – Police in Istanbul detained at least 15 people Friday, including trade union leaders who tried to stage a May Day march in defiance of a coronavirus lockdown and a ban on demonstrations at a historic square.
The Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey, or DISK, tweeted that its head Arzu Cerkezoglu and several other union leaders were detained near Taksim Square, where they wanted to lay wreaths of carnations.
Images showed police and demonstrators wearing masks and face guards in tense, close contact. The Istanbul governor's office said the demonstrators were later released.
The statement added that various trade unions had left wreaths in Taksim Square as permitted by the governor's office but that DISK had