Taksim Square panorama... 'The symbolic weight of Taksim is heavier for Erdoğan'

Journalist and author Murat Yetkin stated that May 1st is only open for celebrations in places permitted by President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, noting, "Before the 2010 constitutional amendment referendum, Erdoğan declared May 1st Labor Day—which had been banned following the September 12, 1980 military coup—as Labor and Solidarity Day in 2009 and opened Taksim Square in 2010. May 1st was also celebrated in Taksim Square in 2011 and 2012.

At that time, neither Erdoğan nor anyone else was saying that it lacked the proper infrastructure for a rally. The pro-government media, meanwhile, was practically celebrating a festival of freedoms; they had all suddenly become friends of the working class," he wrote.

"ÖZEL'S PERSISTENCE MAKES THIS WEIGHT HEAVIER"

Noting that Taksim was closed to celebrations following the Taksim Pedestrianization Project and Gezi Park protests, Yetkin said, "At this point, one might question whether the real issue for Erdoğan is May 1st or Taksim. Perhaps the answer is May 1st in Taksim. Otherwise, he might be thinking, 'Let them go celebrate in the permitted areas, let them shout and yell there.'

So, are the thousands of police officers assigned to keep everyone out of Taksim unable to ensure the safety of the demonstrators coming to Taksim? Is the Turkish state unable to do this? May 1st is a symbol, but the symbolic weight of Taksim is heavier for Erdoğan. Moreover, this time, the persistence of CHP leader Özel, who showed 'respect for the office' by applying for a meeting with him, makes this weight even heavier," he stated.

News Source: 12punto