Nation set for May 1 celebrations

May 1 is set to be celebrated today across the country, by workers from a variety of sectors, amid union demands that celebrations in Istanbul's Taksim Square be again allowed. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that the government wouldn't allow mass celebrations in Taksim, and that only a small group of union representatives would be allowed to read out a statement and lay a wreath at the Taksim Memorial. Erdogan warned the unions against possible provocations, saying, "The Cabinet took this decision out of security concerns." He also said that any provocation could make the situation get out of hand, and that the government has to safeguard people's lives. But some unions declared their determination to hold large celebrations in Taksim anyway. The Istanbul police have planned tight safety measures for the celebrations. The square has great symbolic importance for unions because on May 1, 1977, known as "Bloody May 1," shots were fired into a crowd at Taksim, leaving five dead from gunfire and 30 others trampled to death. Since then, large May 1 celebrations in Taksim have been banned.