Thread: Turkish police fire rubber bullets to break up Women's Day rally

World | Sun Mar 6, 2016 1:59pm EST Related: World, United Nations
Turkish police fire rubber bullets to break up Women's Day rally

ISTANBUL

Turkish police on Sunday briefly detained at least one woman and fired rubber bullets to disperse a crowd of hundreds of people trying to mark International Women's Day in central Istanbul.
The group, which gathered two days before official Women's Day commemorations on March 8 in order to draw more supporters on a Sunday, had ignored a ban on the march by the Istanbul governor who scrapped this year's rally, citing security concerns.
They were seeking to draw attention to women's issues in Turkey, which ranks 77th out of 138 countries on a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) index of gender equality.
The government frequently faces criticism for its handling of women's issues, including the failure to stem high rates of violence and low female participation in the workforce.
Violence committed by domestic partners is 10 times more likely in Turkey, which aspires to join the European Union, than in other European countries, according to the U.N.
Hundreds of women filled the square in the Kadikoy district on the Asian side of Istanbul chanting slogans and carrying purple banners, the hallmark of a movement centered on women's social and economic issues.
Plainclothes police began shoving members of the group, and many women fled the square when riot police fired rubber bullets into the crowd.
"We have always said that we would never leave the streets for the March 8 demonstration, and we never will. Neither the police nor the government can stop us," protestor Guris Ozen told Reuters before the crackdown.
"You see the power of women. We are here despite every obstacle and we will continue to fight for our cause."
Skirmishes also broke out during demonstrations in the capital Ankara, where dozens of women took to the streets.
Turkey has sharply limited the right to peaceful assembly in recent years, giving police wider powers to detain protesters and the courts more power to prosecute them.


Turkish police fire rubber bullets to break up Women's Day rally | Reuters

Turkish police break up women’s protest with rubber bullets

Published time: 7 Mar, 2016 07:05
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Turkish riot police use rubber pellets to disperse demonstrators during a protest ahead of the International Women's Day, in Istanbul, Turkey March 6, 2016. © Osman Orsal / Reuters


Turkish police clashed with female protesters to disperse hundreds of people, rallying for women’s rights in Istanbul ahead of International Women’s Day. They fired rubber bullets and arrested at least one female activist.


The protest on Sunday gathered in response to an order from the governor of Istanbul, who banned the annual March 8 rally citing security concerns. Hundreds of women filled the square in the Kadikoy district on the Asian side of Istanbul chanting slogans and carrying banners.
Sporadic skirmishes between the demonstrators and plainclothes police erupted on several occasions, Reuters reported. Riot police armed with plastic shields used rubber bullets to disperse the gathering.
Similar clashes were reported in the capital Ankara, where dozens of women took to the streets.
Activists vouching for women’s rights criticize the Turkish government for failings on issues, such as eradicating domestic violence and gender inequality at work.


Earlier on Saturday, Turkish police used tear gas on crowds protesting outside the offices of the Zaman newspaper, which was raided by police on Friday.
The popular newspaper, which often criticized the government, was targeted after a court ruled that it should be seized and its management replaced as part of an investigation into the US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. Turkey accuses him of conspiring to overthrow the government.

Turkey has drawn criticism for its handling of gender issues. According to a 2011 UN report, non-sexual physical violence committed by intimate partners was 10 times more likely in Turkey, which aspires to join the European Union, than in some European countries. Meanwhile 281 women were murdered in 2014, up 31% from the previous year, according to statistics compiled by the Bianet monitoring group.

This is considered one of the more civilized muslim countries

Ohh Dear, will this World Fact News be put into another thread