Women's organizations in Istanbul called on women to participate in the traditional Feminist Night March on March 8 to mark International Women's Day in the central Taksim Square. The authorities of the Beyoglu district, within which Taksim is located, have banned the march. The Istanbul regional government prohibited trains from stopping at metro stations in the area to prevent women from gathering, Turkish media outlet Medyascope reported.
The Istanbul regional government has decided to close several stations of the central metro line M2 in the megalopolis on March 8 from 2 pm local time until further notice. Trains will not stop at Taksim and Sisane stations in Beyoglu. The F1 funicular station between Taksim and Kabatas, where there is a connection with passenger ships to the Asian part of Istanbul, will also be closed, it was reported on the social media of the Metro Istanbul.
In Turkiye, March 8 is celebrated as Working Women's Day, but it is not an official holiday.
International Women's day in Turkey was first held in 1921 at the initiative of Rahime Selimova and Cemile Nushirvanova. Since 2003, a march called Feminist Night March has been held in Istanbul's central Taksim Square to protest against the violation of women's rights, murders and violence against women and to demand equality for women in society. Following the Gezi Park protests, which were suppressed in 2013, the local government declared Taksim Square and Istiklal Avenue "no-go zones" for rallies and marches.
Since 2019, any attempt at demonstrations or mass events on Taksim by women's organizations on March 8 has been repelled by police with force. Turkish women, who make up half of Turkey's 85 million population, oppose the patriarchal system in the male-dominated world, demand equality and freedom and are fighting to prevent their rights from being taken away, Turkish media said. Turkiye withdrew from the Istanbul Convention on July 1, 2021.
A law restricting women from receiving alimony was passed at the proposal of the pro-Islamist New Welfare Party, which was included in the Republican Alliance in the 2023 elections.
Meanwhile, Turkiye's first lady, Emine Erdogan, congratulated Turkish women on the occasion.
"Women shape civilization with their justice, they guide humanity with their mercy, and they create the future with their power. Their work is as fertile as the soil, their words as strong as history. Today, our country rises with the presence of women in science, art, politics, economics and every walk of life. With all our heart and support, we strive for our women to be strong not just for a day, but every day. Because when half of society is silent, the whole is incomplete," she wrote on her official X social media account.
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