Police disperse women's ‘Las Tesis’ dance protest in Istanbul

ISTANBUL

Police have dispersed a protest in Istanbul where women sang their rendition of the feminist protest song "A rapist in your path," which has gained popularity around the world after it was first performed in Chile.

About 300 women gathered on Dec. 8 in the Kadiköy district of Istanbul province for their version of the protest song first performed by the Chilean feminist group "Las Tesis."

Seven demonstrators were detained after a brawl between protesters and police.

The slogans shouted by the demonstrators included “elements of crime,” according to an Istanbul Governor’s Office statement.

“On the fact that the group insisted not to disperse and continued the slogans that constitute a crime in the area that has been evacuated by the women’s branch of riot police,” it is said.

Violence against women is a widespread problem in Turkey. Women's rights groups have blasted the Turkish government for not tackling the issue and for seeking to impose a conservative ideology that oppresses women.

Last week, a murder of a young woman in the Black Sea province of Ordu became the latest in a string of similar femicides to spark nationwide outrage on Turkey’s social media.

According to figures provided by Kadın Cinayetlerini Durduracağız Platformu (We Will Stop Femicides Platform), which keeps a tally of femicides across the country, some 391 women were killed by men in Turkey in 2019.

The detainees were charged with "opposition to meeting and march laws,” “insulting the president” and “insulting state institutions.”