On the Eve of May Day

Çiğdem Öztürk was planning to buy a scuba mask today, and she was even considering a snorkel.

Öztürk wants to go to Taksim Square to celebrate Labour Day.

“I hope there will be nothing negative, that there will be a festive mood,” she said, but she was still using her experiences from the past to take precautions.

Lemon juice and surgeon's mask

“Apart from the scuba mask and a snorkel, I am going to use a surgeon's mask and lemon juice. I am definitely going to wear widely-cut trousers so that I can move easily, and with pockets, so that I don’t have to take a bag with me. ID is a must, but otherwise I am not planning to carry much. I am going to wear trainers, in case I need to run.”

Others are going beyond Öztürk’s home made remedies and buying gas masks for around 150 TL.

Leather jacket against the pain...

Gökhan Kaya also told us how he was going to prepare for Labour Day in Taksim:

“Just in case you get beaten with a truncheon, you should wear a leather jacket to feel less pain. In the same way you can wear something inside the trousers. You also need to wear a scarf, both against the tear gas and to use it for first aid if there are wounds or fractures. A hat is again good against beatings. You need to wear laced sports shoes that are comfortable and do not come off in a scuffle.”

Kaya has organised further precautions:

“If I should be taken into custody and my mobile phone should be taken away, I have written down a list of numbers of relatives and lawyers so that I do not risk my right to phone someone. I have also agreed on a meeting time and palce with friends at the end of the day, so that I will know if anything has happened to them.”

Precautions for journalists

Apart from those wanting to celebrate Labour Day and the police, there will also be journalists in Taksim.

Foto reporter Hüseying Özdemir says that his boss checked whether they had gas masks and filters and that he would be carrying one tomorrow.

Last year he was pushed over by the water being shot from cannons and faced the danger of being crushed.

“This year I am going to wear cloth trousers rather than jeans in order to move more easily. I will not take my camera bag or laptop. I will wear a jacket with wide pockets so I can carry my spare batteries. In order to get the photos to the newspaper, I will find an Internet cafe before and use it later. I will carry my yellow press card and my ID.”

Öztürk warned fellow journalists to choose safe places and be careful.

All three, Öztürk, Kaya and Özdemir wish for an “eventless May Day.” (EZÖ/AG)