Police in Istanbul fired tear gas and rubber bullets to break up a group of May Day demonstrators on Monday, a Reuters witness said, as authorities detained more than 200 people at protests around the city.
Protests for May Day, the international workers' holiday, are an annual occurrence in Turkey and have in the past been characterized by widespread police actions against demonstrators.
Protests were expected to be more subdued this year after unions said they would not attempt to march on Taksim Square, a traditional rallying point for anti-government protests that has been declared off-limits for demonstrators.
Elsewhere, About 10,000 Greeks staged an anti-austerity protest on Monday (May 1) to mark International Labor Day as Greece and its foreign lenders continued talks in order to conclude a crucial bailout review which will open the way for the disbursement of vital loans that the country needs to repay debt.
People of all ages carrying union flags, red carnations and banners marched peacefully in the streets of Athens and rallied outside the parliament building calling on the government not to proceed with reforms, demanded by the country's European and International Monetary Fund (IMF) lenders, which will further cut pensions and the tax-free threshold.
The protesters said the continuing austerity measures that Greece has imposed, in exchange for much needed loans, have brought society to its knees.
Ferries were docked in ports as part of a 24-hour strike by seamen and mass transportation was disrupted by work stoppages.
The leftist-led government, which was elected two years ago on a mandate to end austerity, is sagging in opinion polls and ranking second behind the conservative New Democracy party. Labor unions plan a 24-hour anti-austerity strike on May 17.
The bailout review of Greece's progress has dragged on for months.