Turkish police tear gas May Day protesters in Istanbul Turkish police used water cannon and tear gas on Thursday to disperse thousands of protesters who tried to defy a Labour Day ban on demonstrations on Istanbul's Taksim Square, the scene of protests that have dogged the government for months. After giving a final warning, hundreds of riot police backed by water cannon moved in on the protesters in the Besiktas district as they tried to breach the barricades leading up to the symbolic square, according to an AFP reporter. Images and soundbites