Thousands of women in Turkey marched in Istanbul’s central district of Taksim on Friday evening to celebrate International Women’s Day, and to demand more rights and less violence for women, but they were met with police firing capsules containing tear gas in an effort to disperse the crowd.
Hundreds of policemen were deployed to Taksim on Friday afternoon to guard all the side streets that lead to the square in an attempt to control the crowds of demonstrators. They blocked the way for protesters at the entrance of the famous Istiklal Avenue with the help of police dogs, according to local independent media sources and journalists.
The Feminist Night March could only start at Istiklal after the police permitted the women to enter, and only after a thorough body search.
Numerous women who opposed the constraints from the security personnel were subjected to physical violence during the police intercession, an independent news agency Dokuzsekiz reported.
“The streets belong to us”
Women chanted slogans demanding the police to open the roads, saying “the streets belong to us.”
Women on Istanbul's Istiklal Avenue chant slogans to the police during Feminist Night March, "police, open the way, streets belong to us". #InternationalWomensDay #8M2019#dokuz8/@arifiyidogan pic.twitter.com/4QmGZFAeVL
— dokuz8NEWS (@dokuz8_EN) March 8, 2019
An independent photo and video journalist, Fatih Pinar, shared a video on his Twitter account, showing the police brutality and firing of rubber bullets at the women.
Journalist Fatih Pınar (@FatihPinar) has shared a video showing police shooting rubber bullets against women during 17th Feminist Night March in Istanbul. pic.twitter.com/e9DPEvX62J
— dokuz8NEWS (@dokuz8_EN) March 8, 2019
Following police interference, scuffles took place in side streets as the police pursued the women. No immediate report of any injury or detainments were released.
Ironically, on the same day, President Tayyip Erdogan, leader of the AK Party, released a press briefing for the celebration of International Women’s Day.
“As we have been tenaciously heading towards our 2023 vision, we are determined to improve the status of our women, the crown of our heads, in all fields. Respect for women is the foundation of our values, traditions, history and social life. It is a humanitarian task to place next to women when they are faced with injustice and discrimination,” the president said in the release.
Ankara often tries to prevent protests in the country following the state of emergency declaration in the wake of an attempted coup in 2016. However, despite the lifting of the state of emergency, restrictions on mass gatherings and the threat from officials aimed at dissidents, labeling them “terrorists,” are still in force.
The post Turkish police use tear gas to disperse thousands of marchers on Women’s Day appeared first on IPA NEWS.
from IPA NEWS https://ipa.news/2019/03/10/turkish-police-use-tear-gas-to-disperse-thousands-of-marchers-on-womens-day/
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