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

By MEHMET GUZEL and ZEYNEP BILGINSOY
Associated Press

ISTANBUL (AP) — Women have braved an official ban on an International Women’s Day march in Istanbul, Turkey, demonstrating for about two hours before police used tear gas to disperse them and detained people. Thousands of people converged on a central neighborhood Wednesday for a protest that combined women’s rights with the staggering toll of last month’s deadly earthquake. A march was forbidden for a second year on the Istiklal pedestrian avenue where Women’s Day marches had been held since 2003. Police blocked demonstrators’ access to the avenue and broke up the protest with tear gas. An Associated Press journalist saw officers detain at least 30 people.