Turkey: Heightened security for International Workers' Day, May 1

Event

Individuals in Turkey should anticipate heightened security measures as well as transportation and service disruptions on Monday, May 1, as the country celebrates International Workers' Day. Political, labor, and other non-governmental groups typically celebrate the holiday with large rallies and marches in public spaces. In Istanbul, it is advised to avoid the Disk Genel Merkez and Taksim square areas. These events create the potential for security issues due to large crowd sizes and transportation disruptions due to street and business closures. Public transit may also be impacted or canceled due to reduced holiday service. As with all demonstrations in Turkey, the risk of violence is non-negligible.

Context

International Workers' Day, also called Labor Day or May Day, is celebrated annually in countries around the world. It is closely associated with international labor, socialist, communist, and anarchist movements. Violent demonstrations and protests, particularly those connected to anarchist groups, are not uncommon.

Turkey stopped celebrating the day in 1981 after the 1980 coup d'état before restoring the holiday in 2010. Taksim Square has typically been the center of celebrations due to the Taksim Square massacre, a violent incident that left between 34 and 42 dead during celebrations on May 1, 1977.

A recent constitutional referendum has exacerbated the country's already-heightened sociopolitical tensions. Additionally, Turkey has suffered repeated bombings and other attacks since the establishment of Islamic State (IS) in neighboring Iraq and Syria as well as since the 2015 collapse of a long-term ceasefire between the government and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy.

Advice

Individuals in Turkey are advised to avoid all demonstrations and rallies, follow any instructions issued by the local authorities, and carry proper identification at all times (e.g., passport).

Due to the prevailing threat of terrorism, report any suspicious objects or behavior to the authorities and maintain a high degree of vigilance, especially when visiting sites deemed particularly vulnerable to an attack (public transportation, train stations, ports, airports, public or government buildings, embassies or consulates, international organizations, schools and universities, religious sites, festivals, etc.). Some Western governments advise against travel to areas along the Syrian and Iraqi borders.