More clashes between police and May Day protestors, bomb squad

(1 May 2007) SHOTLIST 1. Wideshot, then a zoom into street showing demonstrators being drenched by water cannon 2. Water cannon vehicle firing water into retreating demonstrators 3. Barrier-carrying demonstrators walking in street with large tear gas cloud in middle of road 4. Water cannon firing water at man throwing stones 5. Midshot of police in riot gear and helmets running 6. Water canon firing water 7. Police behind park fence 8. Police running through park 9. Bomb disposal officer walking towards bag on ground and investigating bag 10. Bomb disposal officer walking away from bag, and breaking police cordon 11. Close-up of bag which has what appears to be several Molotov cocktails (explosive device) STORYLINE Turkish police have detained hundreds of demonstrators on Tuesday following chaotic clashes with crowds of leftist protesters marking the anniversary of a deadly May Day rally in Istanbul. Police used a water cannon to clear crowds from around Taksim square. Officers outfitted with helmets, gas masks and truncheons detained 580 demonstrators. Some of the protesters were carrying pistols, firebombs and knives, the Istanbul Governor said. In the capital's Macka neighbourhood, a bomb disposal expert discovered a satchel full of Molotov cocktails, a crude homemade incendiary device, which was found on a verge next to a park. Police cordoned off the area. Authorities had declared the area off-limits to protesters but allowed a few hundred of them to lay red carnations at the square, where unidentified gunmen opened fire on tens of thousands of demonstrators during a May Day gathering in 1977. The incident left 34 people dead, most of whom were killed in a stampede. It was the first time authorities allowed some May Day protesters, including union officials, to enter the square since the 1980 military coup. Police did not allow hundreds of others to reach the square. Riot police chased small pockets of protesters out of the square, detaining some and leading them away. One group of several dozen marched in a cluster toward the square, but quickly turned back, gasping from the effects of tear gas. Police surrounded a larger group of several hundred in the square, near the five-star Marmara Hotel, popular with tourists and businessmen. The protesters raised their fists and denounced Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, chanting, "Resign!" A few held aloft black anarchist flags. A police helicopter circled overhead and police deployed several armoured vehicles in the square. Protesters left the square. But police chasing a group in the affluent Istiklal street, lined up with bars, cafes and shops, fired tear gas and water canons to disperse hundreds of stone-throwing protesters. Officials had shut down 41 schools in the area for the day, anticipating clashes with protesters or members of outlawed leftist groups who often clash with police during May Day rallies in Turkey. Authorities had briefly barred live broadcasts from the square, ordering TV trucks not to set up their satellite dishes, apparently for security reasons. Broadcasts were allowed later. Around three thousand riot police, reinforced with armoured personnel carriers, were seen on guard in the square as snipers took positions on rooftops. Police blocked several roads in central Istanbul as part of their security measures, causing a traffic jam that forced the Istanbul stock market to start trading later than usual. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...