Thousands rally in Turkey to mark May Day amid tight security

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Turkey's largest city of Istanbul on Sunday to mark the International Workers' Day, also known as May Day, amid tight security measures.

This year, labour unions and city officials agreed to hold the rally in the remote district of Bakirkoy at Istanbul's European side, despite workers' insistence on gathering as past at the Taksim Square, Xinhua reported.

The square at the heart of the metropolis has been closed to all kinds of rallies since 2013.

At the rally, workers, labour union representatives, members of opposition parties and citizens mainly chanted against long working hours, low wages, discrimination against women and poverty.

Police fired tear gas at members of pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party over a dispute due to attempts to carry out body checks for the second time.

Some members of leftist groups were dispersed by police with water cannons and tear gas as they intended to break the police barricades to cross to the Taksim Square.

Meanwhile, 36 people in several parts of the city were arrested after they tried to march toward the square.

--IANS

sku/