President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned unions to avoid provocative actions.

Metal barriers were erected around the square, and some roads were closed to traffic with public transport restrictions in place.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya designated 40 areas for May Day celebrations, but not Taksim Square, which is the site of 2013 protests against Erdogan's government.

Yerlikaya stated that the square was not suitable for rallies.

The main opposition CHP party in Turkey, which won the March 31 local elections, is calling for the reopening of Taksim Square for labor rallies during May Day celebrations.

CHP leader Ozgur Ozel criticized the government's ban on the square, stating it goes against the constitution.

Erdogan, in response, urged unions and political parties to avoid unauthorized rallies at Taksim Square to preserve the May Day spirit.

The square has historically been a site for May Day celebrations but was closed following violent demonstrations in 1977 that resulted in at least 34 deaths.

In 2010, Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey, was reopened for celebrations after being closed for renovations.

However, it was shut down again in 2013 during anti-government protests against Erdogan.

In 2023, Turkey's constitutional court ruled that the closure was a violation of rights.

Amnesty International criticized the ban as baseless and called for its lifting, stating that peaceful protests in the square had been unlawfully restricted for over a decade.

Thousands of police will be deployed in Istanbul for May 1 to maintain order.