marched to the labor ministry in Taiwan's capital Taipei demanding wage hikes and a ban on companies hiring cheap temporary or part-time workers. Turkey Police intervened with water cannons and tear gas to disperse hundreds of demonstrators that tried to defy the interdiction to meet on 1 May in Taksim Square, Istanbul, emblematic for anti-government protests in Turkey. Riot police assaulted, using vehicles equipped with water cannons, demonstrators who tried to force the barrages in Beşiktaş district to reach the neighboring Taksim Square. Areas around the European centre of Turkish metropolis were transformed into fortified camp and tens of thousands of police officers – up to 40,000 according to Turkish media – were mobilized to prevent access. According to the Istanbul Governor's Office, at least 142 protesters have been detained by police and 90 people, 19 of whom are police officers, have been injured during the protests. Similar demonstrations took place in more than 30 provinces of Turkey, including the capital Ankara. Europe France According to authorities, nearly 100,000 people attended the Labor Day rallies in France, with the biggest rallies in Paris and other major cities such as Bordeaux and Toulouse. The demonstrations targeted the savings plan of 50 billion euros announced by Prime Minister Manuel Valls. Greece Nearly 20,000 Greeks marked May Day by demonstrating against government reforms which they say have hurt workers through layoffs and wage cuts. Italy In Italy's Turin, scuffles broke out between police and hundreds of protesters. Activists lobbed smoke bombs at police, who charged demonstrators in the northern industrial city, which has been badly hit by a painful two-year recession. It was less violent in Rome, where 300,000 people packed into a huge, free May Day concert organized by trade unions. Thousands of people also took part in a peaceful demonstration called by the main trade unions in Pordenone, near Venice, where the closure of a nearby washing machine plant owned by Sweden's Electrolux has put 1,300 jobs at risk. Russia Over 100,000 attended a protest march from the Red Square to the State Historical Museum in Moscow, reviving a tradition last seen before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The event was organized by the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia. Labour union organisers said that a total of 2 million people had attended similar rallies around the country. Serbia Various labour groups staged a protest in Belgrade