Yaşasın 1 Mayıs Polis Bayramı!! Long Live May Day-Police Holiday!!

May Day is probably the most universal holiday in the world: No other holiday cuts across racial, ethnic, and religious divides as much as International Labour Day. In Moscow, they dance peacefully in Red Square; in Havana, they have a party; in Europe, a picnic; in the USA, a few marches; in Baghdad, a relatively calm meeting; and in Istanbul, a police holiday.

Of course, most of us here were under the entirely deluded impression that the first of May (here, Bir (1) Mayıs) was some sort of workers' holiday --- and why not? The newspapers announced weeks in advance the planned march to the holiest of (socialist) holies, Taksim Square --- a march made all the more poignant because it was to come exactly 30 years after unknown assailants fired on 1 Mayıs revellers in Taksim Square, killing between 34 and 42 workers. Since then, permission has not been granted for another 1 Mayıs gathering in Taksim Square.

This year, of course, was no exception. The governor of Istanbul refused to hear the pleas of the unionists who had asked for the right to lay flowers at the site of the massacre. Uncowed by the bureaucratic intransigence of the local government, the collection of unionists, left-wing political parties and ordinary people -- increasingly sick and tired of the escalating violence and nationalism inherent in contemporary Turkish policies -- insisted on a march to Taksim.

Heeding the rallying cry to meet in front of the Sultan's Palace at 10.00, I filed past the ranks of police sunning themselves in the mid-spring sunshine, doing their very best to emulate some happy Brahman cows, such was their contentment at being able to lie about in the grass before their holiday.

As can perhaps be evident at this point, I have abondoned all claims to neutral objectivity. I went to 1 Mayıs last year as an observer, but to this year's celebration as a participant, despite the rather menacing police (their vacant, contented, zen-like Brahman smiles notwithstanding) buildup on almost every street close to the square.

The 10.00 congregation never happened. A massive police presence, coupled with excessive force was too much for about 20 syndicalists who bravely (if foolhardily) opened a banner and walked towards the police lines before being hitten by a triple barrage of water cannon, tear gas and batons.

Revolution ended, and peace apparently restored, the only thing left was for a busload of Japanese tourists to disembark, wander obliviously through the dissipating wafts of tear gas, and point their camera at just about everything except the police tanks. Such pronounced ability to amble contentedly and completely unaware through one's surroundings left me unsure as to whether I should laugh or cry...

Leaving the Japanese to pay their exhorbitant Sultan's Palace entry fees, I hurried to Taksim Square, found only more and more police, tried to find a boat to another demonstration on the other side of Istanbul, found no boat, found instead more and more police, turned around in the direction of Taksim Square, found some more police, got stopped by other police, showed my blond hair to still other police, was adjudged to be undangerous by these police, walked towards Taksim, got stopped by other police, eluded other police, and finally came to face to face with a whole battalion of police.

Through the various police cordons, about 3000 people had succeeded in reaching the police lines ''protecting'' Taksim Square. Disorganized, but not lacking in spirit, we 3000 chanted, marched in our pen between police lines, and called for the resignation of the Istanbul governor. A collection of ragtag, disorganized students, workers and fellow travellers, however, is not much of a match for tanks, riot police, water cannon, or tear gas (to state the tear gas blindingly obvious): The police response was swift, efficient, and brutal. Volleys of tear gas into the middle of the crowd sent those collected scurrying for cover (the experience of running, panicked and pushed from behind, all the while choking on the thick smoke of tear gas is not an experience easily forgotten) --- while those too slow to escape rapidly were rewarded for their tardiness with beatings and detainment.

At full time, the Police ran out 1:0 winners, 600 people were arrested, tens of thousands succumbed to tear gas, hundreds were beaten, buses were stopped, train service was curtailed, ferries ceased operation, and the police succeeded in breaking up a peaceful memorial celebration at the cost any existing goodwill --- even displacing the usual mayhem reports from Iraq as the BBC's top story.

And so, I invite everyone to celebrate next year's Polis Bayramı, only a mere 364 days away. I'm sure we can expect more of the same...

A Fine Start to 1 Mayıs: 300 police with water cannon, tear gas, batons and a paddywagons vs. 20 workers and a banner.

Well done lads! One of the riot squads, returning triumphantly from taking down the 20 workers















Moment of Panic: The 3000 run for cover after the tear gas was released. Photo taken at full tilt, camera pointed over the left shoulder
















After effects of tear gas --- plain for all to see















The struggle continues on the next street over. Not to fear though, because the police are there to save the day again