Governor's Office makes its decision for May 1st! Permission denied again

The Istanbul Governor's Office has made its decision regarding the May 1st Labor and Solidarity Day. According to the decision, Taksim has been banned again this year.

Istanbul Governor Davut Gül made the following statements:

"Today, April 23rd is being celebrated with enthusiasm. We also have May 1st events ahead of us. As you know, May 1st has not been celebrated in Taksim since 2012. Therefore, Taksim is closed to all such events, not just May 1st. We have spoken with everyone who requested it, primarily DİSK, KESK, and similar organizations, as well as Memur-Sen and HAK-İŞ. We explained to them that it would not be in Taksim this year. We told them that if they decide on a suitable location anywhere in Istanbul, we will do our part to ensure it is celebrated with enthusiasm, in a manner befitting the meaning of the day, and as a festival of democracy. They are consulting among themselves. Hopefully, as it is every year, May 1st Labor and Solidarity Day will be celebrated this year in Istanbul in a way that befits our city, as a holiday for our workers. We have met with the parties involved twice. It will likely be clarified within this week. It will be clarified regarding the location where it will be celebrated. As you know, it has been like that since 2012. It will be celebrated in any area outside of Taksim. They will decide which area that will be and request it from us. We will do whatever is necessary, including security measures and all logistics."

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS HAD MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT

Labor and professional organizations DİSK, KESK, TMMOB, TTB, and TDB announced in a joint statement on April 16th that they had decided to celebrate May 1st in Taksim.