Women in Turkey 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 the remaining protesters and detained several people, India Today reported.
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 Turkey and Syria a month ago.
Organizers had been forbidden — for the second straight year — from marching down the popular Istiklal pedestrian avenue in Turkey’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).
