Turkish police break up 'violence against women' protest

Demonstrators run away from a tear gas during a protest against gender-based violence on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, in Istanbul, Turkey November 25, 2021. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Riot police fired pepper gas to disperse demonstrators who gathered in Istanbul on Thursday to protest violence against women, some chanting "government resign", nearly five months after Turkey withdrew from a treaty on the issue.

The group of several thousand, mostly women, marched to the city centre's Taksim Square, blocked off with barriers amid a heavy police presence. The police fired the gas and scuffled with the protesters after urging the crowd to disperse.