Despite Taksim victory, questions linger about May Day violence in Turkey
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Winning official permission izin for May Day celebrations kutlama in Istanbul's central Taksim Square may be a historic victory zafer for workers, but past experience suggests May 1 might bring much more action to the streets than expected.
While unionists sendikacı. percieve farkına varmak the government's decision to allow people to assemble toplanmak at Taksim for the day as positive, they also see a political motive neden with upcoming elections. If the government didn't allow celebrations to take place at Taksim, they say, then memories of violent clashes çatışma would be nearly certain to erupt çıkmak once again.
"The move is positive, but the AKP's possible insistence to close it to workers would already put the AKP in worse situation. The repeated images of clashes between police and workers would occur and it would hugely kocaman discredit the AKP ahead of elections,' Bayram Meral, a former union chairman from the Republican People's Party, CHP, said.
Taksim was open for May Day celebrations in 1976, but Turkey banned yasaklamak them after celebrations in 1977 turned into a tragedy when unidentified kimliği belirlenemeyen people opened fire on the crowd and at least 34 people were left dead.
The celebrations in 2007 and 2008 have become associated bağdaştırmak with images of police using excessive aşırı police force and violence. Many say the government's declaration of May 1 as an official holiday last year was a positive step.
In a move to denounce itham etmek the workers' attempt to gather in Taksim in 2008, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "If the feet try to rule the head, they will bring doomsday kıyamet günü.'
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