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On May 1st there was a virtual state of emergency in Istanbul. More than 42,000 police prevented unions and the opposition from holding a May Day rally in central Istanbul’s Taksim Square. Half the city was cordoned off for this. On Tuesday evening, display boards in several subway stations announced that the lines would not run from 6 a.m. on May 1st. Ferry traffic from the Asian side of Istanbul to the European side, where the May rallies were supposed to take place, was also severely restricted. In total, the police closed 30 main streets leading into the center of the city, which was closed to rallies.