Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Istanbul Thursday to participate in May Day rallies against government’s alleged corruption scandal and a stealthy move of authoritarianism in Turkey.

Police lobbed tear gas and used water cannons to intercept the protesters. The officials also closed down main streets to disperse the crowd that sought to challenge the Turkish government amid May Day celebrations in Taksim Square.

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Ninety people were injured in the clash, including 19 policemen, and more than 140 people were arrested.

The clashes between the police and the protesters continued in the main and backstreets of the city until early afternoon, according to an official statement released by the governor’s office in Istanbul.

In 2009, May 1 was declared a national holiday for the country. It has since turned into a day for people to gather and show their grievances, mostly toward the government.

The people in Turkey have been angered by alleged corruption scandals confronting the administration of Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan. The country's increasing anger has been triggered more when Erdogan sought to ban microblogging platform Twitter and other forms of social media in the country.

Erdogan was accused by critics to have been abusing his authority by removing officials and even judges who tried to pin him down on corruption probes. However, the March elections showed that the issues on corruption have not lessened Erdogan's popularity among his constituents.

The Thursday protest was among the biggest rallies in Turkey following last year's June protest against the administration of the Prime Minister.

May Day demonstrations also happened in other parts of the world, including in Hong Kong and Seoul. Russians also gathered on Red Square to show patriotism after the events concerning Ukraine.

TagsMay Day, Turkey, PM Recep Tayip Erdogan, May Day rallies