Istanbul Bar Association reacts to Taksim ban: 'The Governor's Office is disregarding the law and the Constitutional Court's ruling'
Unions and professional organizations, which are determined to meet in Taksim on May 1st, have reacted to the closure of Taksim Square—a site of symbolic importance for workers—again this year. The Istanbul Bar Association has joined those expressing their reaction to the Taksim ban. In a statement released by the Bar, it was stated that "The Governor's Office is disregarding the law and the Constitutional Court's ruling."
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The following statements were included in the Istanbul Bar Association's statement regarding Taksim:
Regarding the celebration of May 1st Labor and Solidarity Day in Taksim, the Ministry of Interior's statement has been reflected in the press: “Holding meetings and protest marches is a democratic right, and this right is guaranteed by our Constitution. It must not disrupt the peace of our society, public order, or hinder the rights and freedoms of others.
Coming to this year; 103 applications were made in 55 provinces for May 1st Labor and Solidarity Day, and all of them have been permitted. I would like to open a parenthesis here for Istanbul. 40 separate locations and routes have been determined in Istanbul. Calls for Taksim will not be permitted; it is not suitable for May 1st.”
Article 3 of the Law on Meetings and Demonstration Marches No. 2911 includes the provision that “Everyone has the right to organize meetings and demonstration marches for certain purposes that are not considered crimes by law, without prior permission, unarmed and without aggression.” Furthermore, the Constitutional Court, with its decision dated 12.10.2023 and application number 2016/14517, ruled that the right to organize a demonstration march was violated due to the prevention of May 1st celebrations in Taksim Square.
The Constitutional Court ruled that preventing celebrations in Taksim is “an obstruction of the right to organize meetings and demonstration marches, which is guaranteed under Article 34 of the Constitution.” In the aforementioned decision, it was emphasized that Taksim Square is identified with May 1st Labor Day, that preventing May 1st celebrations in Taksim is a violation of rights, and that the government's duty is to take the necessary measures for workers and citizens to celebrate May 1st safely and peacefully in Taksim and everywhere else.
While May 1st Labor and Solidarity Day was celebrated peacefully in Taksim in 2010, 2011, and 2012 without any issues, Taksim has been closed to workers and laborers since 2013, with legal rules being disregarded. By banning the celebration of May 1st Labor and Solidarity Day in Taksim, the Istanbul Governor's Office is disregarding both the law and the Constitutional Court's ruling. What the administration must do is fulfill the requirements of this Constitutional Court decision and take the necessary measures for May 1st to be celebrated safely and peacefully in Taksim and everywhere else. Any other situation would constitute a new violation of rights.