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Police make arrests in Istanbul during May Day

01 May 2015 18:23 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Istanbul's police chief has claimed that 136 people have been detained so far during a major security operation underway in Turkey's largest city amid May 1 Labor Day demonstrations, APA reports quoting Anadolu Agency.

Rallies and demonstrations are also taking place in capital Ankara and other major locations across Turkey.

Selami Altinok was speaking Friday afternoon in central Istanbul as thousands of extra officers -- many from outside the city -- were on the streets as trade unions and left-wing groups attempted to march to the iconic Taksim Square.

However, as in recent years, Taksim -- a major interchange on Istanbul's European side and of symbolic importance for unions and leftists -- has been ruled out-of-bounds by the Turkish authorities.

Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that such attempted rallies on May 1 meant "paralyzing" Istanbul.