Women in Turkiye brave ban on Istanbul march, get tear-gassed

ISTANBUL: Women in Turkiye braved an official ban on an International Women’s Day march in Istanbul, demonstrating for about two hours before police used tear gas to disperse remaining protesters and detained several people. Thousands converged on a central neighborhood Wednesday for a protest that combined women’s rights with the staggering toll of the deadly quake that hit Turkiye and Syria a month ago. Organizers had been forbidden — for the second straight year — from marching down the popular Istiklal pedestrian avenue in Turkiye’s biggest city where Women’s Day marches were held since 2003. Police blocked demonstrators’ access to the avenue. An Associated Press journalist saw officers detain at least 30 people and use tear gas after the group ended their demonstration at 2100 local time (1800 GMT). Local authorities banned the march, saying the area was not an authorized demonstration site. They also claimed the march could “provoke” segments of Turkish society, lead to verbal or physical attacks, be misused by terror groups and threaten national security — as well as curtailing freedom of movement in the cultural and tourist area. Metro stations in the vicinity were closed.

Lale Pesket, a 28-year-old theater student, said that was unfair. “We are not harming anyone, but unfortunately, we are faced with police violence every time,” she said. “Our only concern is the emancipation of women, we want free spaces in a world without violence and better economic conditions, especially for women.” Protesters held banners reading “we are angry, we are in mourning” for the more than 46,000 people who died in Turkiye in buildings widely considered unsafe and the hundreds of thousands left homeless in the Feb. 6 quake. One