8 March protests in Turkey and Kurdistan – #we do not bend
Existing translations
On March 8, women* were in the streets all over the world on International Women's* Day. There were also numerous demonstrations in Turkey and Kurdistan. Days before, women* took to the streets with the slogan #wirbeugenunsnicht.
Last Saturday, several women's organizations and activists gathered in Istanbul-Kadiköy. With the slogan "We will conquer our freedom" (Özgürlüğümüzü Kazanacağız), "Jin Jiyan Azadi" (Women Life Freedom) they marched to the protest site in Kadiköy despite the police barricades. They did not let themselves be intimidated by the police violence. Also, trans people gave a speech. After the speech, the police chased the trans persons and arrested them in a brutal way.
There were also demonstrations in the Kurdish area in Antep on the occasion of March 8. They drew attention with placards such as "Not the Istanbul Convention, but put an end to feminicides", "Our body, identity and freedom belongs to us", "We are silent, fear and do not bend". At the end of the demonstration, a joint speech was given on behalf of the women's organizations, stating that laws against the division and violence against women and LGBTI+ people must be brought out, women must be given two days of paid leave during their menstruation, and March 8 must be recognized as a paid public holiday. With other legitimate demands, the women loudly brought their protest to a close.
Furthermore, there was also a larger protest action in other parts of Istanbul such as in Besiktas. In the foreground of this action were the peace mothers. Here, too, the slogan "We will conquer our freedom" was loudly expressed by the women. At the end of the March 8 protests, a speech was also given here on behalf of the women's platforms. In the speech, the justified resistance of women was expressed despite the pandemic all over the world be it in Latin America, Europe, East Asia, Middle East. It was emphasized that women will not give up fighting for their safety at work, their rights. In addition, the speech also drew attention to the state violence against LGBTI+ persons and noted that they are united in opposing it.
(translated with deepL)
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