May Day, the international workers holiday, is a big deal everywhere but the US. And usually, on this worldwide labor day, there is a lot more excitement than grilling dawgs and drinking a few in the backyard.
On May 1, 1977, an unknown gunman shot at thousands attending a May Day rally in Istanbul, killing 36. Since then, whenever unions have tried to gather at the site of the killings, the commercial and tourist center Taksim Square, they have clashed with police who have tried to prevent them. Last year was no different, with police chasing rally attendees into a hospital and spraying tear gas.
The political leaders have been adamant that no political demonstrations take place at Taksim Square. I am not sure why, but there are a lot of things regarding free speech that the Turkish government and society are really sensitive about. This year, the government and union leaders have come to an agreement for a scaled-down event.
I’ve been in Istanbul for a week, attending a public health meeting. To get from my hotel to the meeting site, I usually cross Taksim Square. This morning, there were tens of thousands of police blocking access to the square, and they were clustered at every alley and intersection all around the area. Shops all around the area were closed. Public transit was closed. The streets are usually very crowded, but not today. Most of the people in sight are police in riot gear. There are barricades everywhere. The government has decided to shut down this section of the city to prevent a major public gathering. A strange scene. I haven’t seen much of the rally yet.
What a struggle for the local unions here just to gather and express free speech. What’s the major worker news in the US? About 70 years after sit-down strikes to have their union recognized by GM, it seems that autoworkers are going to have an ownership stake in the company as it’s on the brink of failure. Weird.
Fletch
Jeremy
Zack!
joshuastough
pfe115
vkoneonefive
“…just to gather and express free speech..” seriously understates the context. read about turkey in the 70s – the political violence from both right and left made the weathermen look like bambi.. the optimist view is that what you’re seeing is merely a death throe of that extremism.. much of it state-sponsored.
rather than UAW, think black panthers vs fbi turned million man march vs, um, national park service? ok, the riot police are a bit much, but it’s pretty standard fare in that neighborhood, whether it’s english soccer hooligans or deconstructed maoist hunger strikers.
ask the turks you meet about it all.. it’s a land of fantastic conspiracy theories, so you’re sure to get some colorful and contradictory explanations.
unfortunately, in any country, the hoopla is often more factionalism and reactionaries than living wages, free education and public health care…