Istanbul governor Muammer Guler rejected allegations by union leaders that efforts by their members to congregate in Taksim had been thwarted by disproportionate levels of force.
Speaking late Monday, Guler went on the offensive, claiming that many of those involved in the May Day clashes were not workers at all, instead being political activists.
The identities of those involved in the clashes with police were being investigated through the use of security camera footage and media images, Guler said.
The governor said that security forces had only responded to violence used by protestors and had not been excessive in their actions.
Earlier Monday, representatives of Turkey’s peak union groups said they would take legal action against those they held responsible for the May Day violence, which saw more than 30 people injured.
Suleyman Celebi, the chairman of the Labor Unions Confederation (DISK), said it was inappropriate for police and security forces to have used water cannon and tear gas on workers who had gathered outside office buildings belonging to unions.
Ahead of May Day, state officials had confirmed a ban on staging May Day events in the central Taksim Square would remain in place. However, unions vowed to hold a mass rally in the square, the scene of a massacre in 1977, when unknown gunmen opened fire on a May 1 rally, killing 36 people. The unions gave up their attempt to gather in Taksim after a series of running fights in the streets with police and security forces.
Among those the unions said they wanted held accountable for the clashes were Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin, Interior Minister Besir Atalay, Labor Minister Faruk Celik, Guler and Istanbul police chief Celalettin Cerrah.
