May Day

Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler announced on NTV on Monday that his administration would allow a number of workers to take to Taksim Square during this year's May Day celebrations. Though the government made May Day, celebrated worldwide as International Workers' Day, an official holiday, the government and police have been criticized in recent years for excessive handling of leftist demonstrations. The police's handling of May Day demonstrations in 2008 have been particularly scrutinized. A point of contention to Guler's announcement comes in response to his stated intention to attempt to limit the number of workers who can take to the square. The Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions (DISK) and other unions have said that the number of workers allowed to take to the square should not be limited or neotiated, and that efforts to do so will only increase tensions.