( Cihan ) - At least 700 people were detained during the Labor Day demonstrations in Istanbul, where the day started with a paralyzed traffic due to high security precautions to diffuse possible provocations.
Istanbul Governor's Office consistently stated that any protests were forbidden at any locations other than Iskele Square in Istanbul's Kadikoy district and two other squares on the European side of the city.
However, members of the Confederation of Revolutionary Worker's Union (DISK) gathered at Taksim Square. The police was forced to use tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protestors.
Over 700 demonstrators were detained at various locations all over Istanbul as police forces intervened to prevent illegal demonstrations, said Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler.
Main roads closed due to the protests were opened and the underground, tramway, buses and ferries returned to their normal schedules as of 4 p.m.
Guler put the blame on DISK for the chaos and stated that they allowed a press statement at the Taksim Square, where 34 people died in 1977's May Day celebrations, but banned any other kind of gatherings.
However, DISK chairman Suleyman Celebi blamed the governor for the incidents. Celebi told reporters that the Taksim Square was the Labor Day square and that DISK achieved its goal.