Labor and Solidarity Day  Istanbul May 1, 1977

It was evident that May 1st celebrations were better organized in 1977. I arrived in Istanbul a few days earlier to pick my DISK press card. This time, my area of work encompassed the Taksim neighborhood over Sarachane and Tarlabasi. There was political tension, but Taksim Square was full. Everything started after the speech of DISK President Kemal Turkler and a minute's silence. At that moment, I was taking pictures on the speaking platform and next to him. I captured some frames. For security reasons, as the gunfire started on the platform, they brought us down from the platform and put us down on the floor to keep us protected. I remember being face to face with Kemal Turkler. I thought I might die that day amid explosions and gunfire. I get on the platform a few times and photographed different moments of the square. The places were full of banners. People have hidden at some points to protect themselves. There were people lying on the ground, but how many were wounded or dead was not clear. Soon, an off-road vehicle drove Kemal Turkler from the area; I went back up the platform when the sounds diminished. The square was completely empty; there were people on the ground surrounded by banners and signs. The next day, I learned that 37 people had died. The paramilitary forces that created the incident could not be found within the past 40 years and the incident was not enlightened.