Title: Pepper Spray Used to Disperse Protest on International Women's Day

Turkish riot police used pepper spray to disperse a group of demonstrators who clashed with police forces at the end of a march celebrating International Women's Day in central Istanbul. Women were seen whistling and chanting, "We will not be silent, we are not afraid, we will not bow," as they attempted to push against the riot police shields, leading to confrontations with the police, while the rest of the protesters, numbering around two thousand, dispersed. Authorities had previously prevented the protesters from organizing a march in the city center, stating in an announcement that they would not allow marches, protests, or press statements, and shut down local metro stations early in the afternoon. During the protest, demonstrators called for "the government's resignation," and a large banner was displayed during the march stating, "We are angry, we are in mourning, we are in feminist rebellion." The march was organized more than two months before elections that are expected to pose the biggest electoral challenge to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to date, and it came almost a month after devastating earthquakes in southern Turkey that claimed the lives of over 52,000 people.