Turkish riot police clashed with women who gathered to celebrate International Women's Day in Istanbul on Tuesday, firing pepper spray as they tried to disperse a crowd of several thousand in the city centre.
The Istanbul governor's office on Monday that it would not allow marches, protests or press reports to mark the event in the area around the city's central Taksim Square.
Amid a heavy police presence, women whistled, set off flares and chanted "we are not scared, we do not bow down" as they gathered near by.
"You see the state of the country and all the bad things women have to face every day," protester Dilara Akkaya said.
"I walk in fear in the street every day. I actually came here to walk without being afraid."
Some tried to force their way through police barriers blocking the area where they wanted to march. Helmeted riot police then fired pepper spray and used their shields to push the protesters back.
-
People take part in a Million Women Rise march outside Charing Cross Police Station in central London, before International Women's Day, to protest over violence against women, racism and misogyny. PA -
A staff member applies coloured powder to a rangoli (traditional floor decoration) outside a restaurant in New Delhi. AFP -
Protesters during a march to mark International Women's Day in Manila, Philippines. The protesters urged warring nations to look into problems caused globally by the latest Russia-Ukraine war. EPA -
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish women wear masks during a rally to denounce sexual harassment in the Haredi community in Israel, in the ultra-Orthodox district of Ramat Shlomo near Jerusalem. EPA -
Members of the conservative activist group Manif pour Tous, or "Protest for Everyone", stage a demonstration against surrogacy near the Eiffel Tower in Paris. AFP -
Women attend a rally marking the International Women's Day in Istanbul, Turkey. According to the 'We'll Stop Femicide' social platform, 417 women were killed through gender-based violence and hundreds were assaulted by men in 2021, in Turkey. EPA -
Activists set up a work of art made from red fabric, titled 'Blood of My Blood', made to bring attention to the killing of women, in the main square of Zapopan, Mexico. EPA -
Colombian TV journalist Catalina Gomez, working for France 24, comforts and checks the welfare of a female refugee who has just arrived by train from Ukraine in Zahony, Hungary. Getty Images -
An activist performs the Chilean feminist protest anthem 'Un violador en tu camino', meaning 'A rapist in your path', in Santiago, Chile. Reuters -
An Acehnese woman works in a swamp area as oyster hunter in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. The UN has made 'gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow' the main theme for International Women's Day 2022 to recognise women and girls who are playing a leading role in the fight against climate change and to honour their contributions to a sustainable future. EPA -
A female mechanic teaches students about car engines, as part of the Underprivileged Children's Educational Programmes, on the outskirts of Kathmandu, Nepal. AFP -
Commuters in a suburban train take part in a yoga session held to mark the International Women's Day in Mumbai, India. AP Photo
"We are faced with the police even when we talk about a simple march," said Elif Turkmen, one of the protesters.
"All we want to do is a simple march and press statement and we have to struggle with the police even for that."
There have been similar scenes at such gatherings in previous years, with Turkish authorities outlawing protests and police cracking down on those who gather.
