Hundreds of demonstrators were detained by Turkish riot police as they attempted to approach Istanbul’s iconic Taksim Square for May Day rallies over economic hardship caused by soaring inflation.

May Day festivities in another district were permitted by the Istanbul governor’s office, but gatherings in all other sites were ruled unapproved and unlawful.

According to the Demiroren News Agency, police apprehended 30 persons in downtown Besiktas and 22 others in Sisli districts.

According to a statement issued by the Istanbul governor’s office on Sunday, 164 protestors were detained around the city for “attempting to stage unlawful rallies.”

Every year on May 1st, marches led by workers and unions take place as part of International Labor Day festivities in several nations.

According to a Reuters poll, Turkey’s annual inflation rate is anticipated to surge to 68 percent in April, driven higher by the Russia-Ukraine war and rising commodity costs, before declining only marginally by the end of the year.