Women in Turkey ban Istanbul march, release tear gas shells

Women defied an official ban on an International Women’s Day march in Istanbul, Turkey, by demonstrating for nearly two hours after police used tear gas to disperse the remaining protesters and detain people.

Thousands gathered in a central neighborhood for a protest linking women’s rights with deadly earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria a month ago.

Organizers – for the second straight year – were forbidden from marching on Istiklal Avenue in Turkey’s biggest city, where the Women’s Day march has been held since 2003. Police blocked protesters’ access to the avenue. One associated Press The reporter witnessed authorities detaining at least 30 people and using tear gas after the group ended its demonstration at 9 p.m. local time.

Local authorities prohibited the march, saying that the area was not an authorized protest site. He also claimed that the march could “incite” areas of Turkish society, lead to verbal or physical attacks, be misused by terrorist groups and threaten national security – as well as May reduce freedom of movement in the cultural and tourism sector.

Nearby metro stations were closed.

Lale Pesquet, a 28-year-old theater student, said it was unfair.

“We are not harming anyone, but unfortunately, we have to face police violence every now and then,” she said. “Our only concern is the liberation of women – we want free space in the world without violence and better economic conditions especially for women.”

Protesters hold banners reading “We are angry, we are in mourning” for the more than 46,000 people killed in buildings widely considered unsafe in Turkey and hundreds of thousands left homeless by the February 6 earthquake .

A banner read “Control the contractors, not the women”, referring to contractors who have been accused of ignoring building regulations and contributing to the mayhem.

Gulsum Ozturk, a 23-year-old university student, said, “Living as a woman in Turkey is already difficult enough, and there’s a reason we’re here … the earthquake … and the people who were left under the rubble.” “.

Protest organizers also criticized the government for withdrawing from a European treaty – signed in 2011 in Istanbul and named after the city – that protects women from domestic violence, and “endangering the lives of millions of women”.

Turkey’s We Will Stop Femicide platform said 328 women were killed by men in the past year.