The Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Istanbul’s governor have both reiterated that no celebrations of May Day in Istanbul’s iconic Taksim Square  tomorrow will close all the roads to Taksim Square.

“Some unions are doing their best to turn May Day into a day of tension and clashes,” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said today in an address to his party members in Parliament.

Turkish PM Erdoğan said the current move to pedestrianize the square put the safety of any crowds at risk.

“In the event of a possible provocative action … during the rally, could you stand even one person’s death there?” Erdoğan said.

Istanbul Gov. Hüseyin Avni Mutlu held a press meeting in Taksim earlier in the day, saying security forces would prevent groups from marching to the square.

“We are saying our last word here; a rally here tomorrow will definitely not be allowed,” Mutlu said.
Mutlu, however, said a short, wreath-laying ceremony would be permitted in Taksim Square, as would a commemoration ceremony at Kazancı Slope to honor dozens of people killed by suspected right-wing extremists on May 1, 1977.

A number of unions again announced April 29 that they were planning to gather in Taksim to mark International Workers’ Day, dismissing the intransigence of the government and the governor.
“Taksim Square is the name of resistance and determination against those who ignore the values and beauties of this country,” Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DİSK) head Arzu Çerkezoğlu said, according to Anatolia news agency.

Mutlu had said roads leading to Taksim would be out of service tomorrow and that some 3,000 police would be brought in to provide security.

In 2010, the government allowed the square to be opened for May Day rallies for the first time since the 1977 massacre.

The square, however, is currently undergoing a massive and controversial renewal project that could create safety dangers for any crowds congregating there, the government has said.

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