24 Labour Day protesters arrested for ‘terror’ in Turkey

Turkish authorities have formally arrested and charged with "terrorism" 24 people detained during May Day demonstrations in Istanbul, state media said on Tuesday.

According to official figures, police detained 366 people in various parts of the city following huge clashes on 1 May, an annual day of protests linked to the country’s labour unions.

Police had used tear gas and water cannon to disperse hundreds of stone-throwing protesters as they attempted to defy a ban on demonstrations in Istanbul's Taksim Square protest hub, around which most of the detentions took place.

Many opposition parties and unions had announced that they would march to Taksim Square, the site of the deadly anti-government protests in May-June 2013, flouting a government ban.

Despite fears that the protest could be deadlier than the demonstrations of 1977, when 34 people were killed, the day actually saw fewer clashes than the previous year.

Twenty-four people were injured, including six police officers, with some protesters accusing the police of using live ammunition to disperse crowds.

An Istanbul court on Tuesday placed 24 of those detained on 1 May under arrest, while 191 were released pending trial.

Fifty-one people were released subject to restrictions imposed by the court, including a travel ban.

Those arrested have been charged with a number of offences including "belonging to a terrorist group," "destroying public property" and "possession of explosives," Turkey’s Anadolu Agency said. 

This year’s Labour Day demonstration was the first major gathering after parliament passed a controversial security bill this year giving the police greater powers to crack down on protests.

The new bill includes jail sentences for protesters who carry Molotov cocktails, wear the insignia of a banned organisation or conceal their face with a mask.

Amnesty International has condemned the bill, stating that the legal changes “threaten human rights, including the prospect of increased arbitrary detention and excessive use of firearms by police”.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's administration is jittery about public demonstrations ahead of 7 June legislative elections.