ISTANBUL, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Turkish police on Tuesday detained at least 35 people trying to march toward the iconic Taksim Square in defiance of a ban on International Labor Day celebrations there, local media reported.
Under the ban imposed by the Istanbul provincial government over security concerns, the police blocked the roads leading to the square at 04:00 in the morning, but several leftist groups intended to march toward the square from neighboring Besiktas district, CNNTurk said.
When the crowd marched on and chanted "Taksim cannot be off limits on May Day," the police intervened and detained at least 35 people, the broadcaster said.
The square has a symbolic meaning for Turkey's trade unions and leftist groups, as 34 workers were killed during 1977 May Day celebrations in shots fired from a nearby building. Since then, worker unions and laborers have been trying to commemorate the killings at the square.
The authorities banned all demonstrations and gatherings there after massive anti-government protests erupted in June 2013 in the square and in neighboring Gezi Park.
