Background
In the Ottoman Empire, the first celebration of Labour Day was organized in Skopje (now Republic of Macedonia) in 1909. In Istanbul, Labour Day was first celebrated in 1912. No celebrations could be organized between 1928 and 1975. On 1 May, 1976 the Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Unions of Turkey (DISK) organized a first rally on Taksim Square with mass participation.
Rumours that Labour Day 1977 would turn out bloody were circulated by the Turkish press before the rally, once again organized by DISK. The leadership of DISK known to support Workers Party of Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye İşçi Partisi, TİP), the Socialist Workers Party of Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye Sosyalist İşçi Partisi, TSİP) and the then-illegal Communist Party of Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye Komünist Partisi, TKP) had banned the participation of the so-called Maoist block (at the time acting under names such as the Liberation of the People, the Path of the People and Union of the People). It was expected that these groups would clash with each other.
Read more about this topic: Taksim Square Massacre
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