Turkish police on Wednesday rounded up more than 200 people after authorities banned May 1 rallies at Istanbul's central Taksim Square, said the country's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.

"210 people were detained in Istanbul after failure to heed our warnings and attempting to walk to Taksim Square and attack our police officers," Yerlikaya posted on X.

More than 40,000 police officers were deployed across Istanbul, blocking even small side streets with metal barriers in an attempt to prevent gatherings.