London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

International Women's Day: asylum seekers protest at Turkish border

Women and children part of thousands who took to streets around world, but some protests turned violent
Female asylum seekers have staged a demonstration at the Turkish border demanding to be let into the EU as part of protests around the world on International Women’s Day.

All over the globe, thousands of women took to the streets, including South Americans campaigning for access to abortions and topless demonstrations in London and Paris.

Women and children carried placards with the words “Help us” and “Don’t Kill Us — We Are Human” at the Pazarkule border crossing between Turkey and Greece on Sunday, where thousands of migrants have gathered since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan decided to open the Turkish side of the border.

In France a clutch of virus deaths on Saturday took the death toll to 16, but Paris hosted several rallies — one of which was marred by violence that organisers blamed on police.

Other protests around the world were also met with force. In Istanbul, Turkey, police fired teargas on a crowd and pushed protesters away after local officials closed down streets leading to the city’s main square.

A demonstration in Kyrgyzstan also turned violent as police detained dozens of protesters – mainly women – after masked men attacked them and tore up their placards in the capital Bishkek. A police spokesman said they were detained for their own safety and because police had not been warned about the rally.

In Santiago, Chile, thousands gathered in the capital, Santiago, demanding access to abortion and an end to violence against women. Police used water hoses and teargas in attempts to disperse crowds. Many women came prepared, wearing gas masks and even sling shots to fight back.

In Mexico City, a huge rally marched to the public square in front of the national palace, where they painted the first names of victims of femicide since 2016, from a list that included over 3,000. Femicides have more than doubled in the country over the past five years.

In Milan in northern Italy, a small group of women -some wearing pink face masks -came out to show their support for the celebration, despite the region being under lockdown amid the rapid spread of coronavirus.

The Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, released a video message in which he expressed regret at the need to avoid large-scale gatherings. He said he was giving “a grateful thought to the women -and there are many -who are working in hospitals ... in the red [quarantine] zones to fight the spread of the virus that worries us today”.

In the Philippines, a group of anti-imperialists, dissidents and feminists burnt an effigy of President Rodrigo Duterte, who has been criticised for misogyny.

In London, 31 women from the Extinction Rebellion group formed a topless chain across Waterloo Bridge, saying their bare breasts symbolised “the vulnerability of women around the world in the face of climate breakdown”.

Many had written slogans across their naked chests including “Climate Rape”, “Climate Murder” and “Climate Abuse”.

In London and other cities the women’s strike took place, encouraging women to withdraw all work -whether paid or unpaid domestic work. “The women’s strike rejects the decades of economic inequality, criminalisation and policing, racial and sexual violence, and endless global war and terrorism,” the group said in a statement.

In Paris, topless Femen activists wearing protective glasses and masks gathered at Place de la Concorde to denounce “the patriarchal pandemic”, despite the best efforts of police to control them.

“Who’s doing the washing up?” they chanted. “We are making a revolution.”

But rights groups and politicians denounced what they said was police violence at a women’s march in Paris the night before, after scuffles broke out and police arrested nine people.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, currently seeking re-election, said she was shocked at the “unacceptable and incomprehensible” violence and expressed her solidarity with the demonstrators.

Some women tweeted pictures of marchers left battered and bruised, prompting Julien Bayou, the party secretary of Europe Ecology-The Greens, to condemn what he termed “absolutely unjustifiable police violence”.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×