{"id":15344,"date":"2013-06-10T18:02:41","date_gmt":"2013-06-10T14:02:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/archive2.ankakh.com\/?p=15344"},"modified":"2013-06-10T18:02:41","modified_gmt":"2013-06-10T14:02:41","slug":"woman-labeled-icon-of-turkey-protests-its-not-about-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive2.ankakh.com\/en\/?p=15344","title":{"rendered":"Woman labeled ‘icon’ of Turkey protests: It’s not about me"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"130604063059-turkey-protest-0528-story-top\"<\/a>(CNN)<\/strong>\u00a0— She has become a symbol of the violent protests in Turkey. Across social media, she’s known as “The Woman in Red.”<\/p>\n

Wearing a red summer dress and a delicate necklace, the woman walked among demonstrators in Istanbul’s Taksim Square when a security officer lurched at her and pepper-sprayed her so powerfully her hair was blown upward.<\/p>\n

She could do nothing but turn away from the toxic spray. The officer, wearing a gas mask, lunged closer to her, unleashing more spray on the back of her neck. She covered her mouth as officers spray others.<\/p>\n

The photos of the incident have been shared widely on social media in recent days.\u00a0International headlines<\/a>\u00a0have proclaimed her an“icon”\u00a0<\/a>of the movement against the government of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Apology for ‘police aggression’<\/cite><\/div>\n

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\"\"Online campaign puts spotlight on Turkey<\/cite><\/div>\n

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\"\"Police, protesters clash in Ankara<\/cite><\/div>\n

“That photo encapsulates the essence of this protest,” a math student named Esra\u00a0told Reuters<\/a>. “The violence of the police against peaceful protesters, people just trying to protect themselves and what they value.”<\/p>\n

The images have also\u00a0inspired cartoons<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0graffiti in Turkey<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0around the world<\/a>. And just seeing a woman in a red dress walking in public has apparently touched a chord with other women in the region, too.<\/p>\n

Zeinobia tweeted, “The woman in red in Turkey, I wish to wear such dress in downtown Cairo without fear, without protests, without sexual harassment.”<\/p>\n

But the truth is that woman in red told CNN Wednesday that she wants no part of this.<\/p>\n

What’s happening in Turkey is the “people’s revolt,” she said.<\/p>\n

Ceyda Sungur told Turkey’s TV 24 that she is uncomfortable about her new fame. She doesn’t want to be an icon of a movement.<\/p>\n

“There are a lot of people who were at the park and they were also tear-gassed,” she said. “There is not (a) difference between them and I.”<\/p>\n

But, she added, “I am not surprised” about the violence that evolved from what began days ago as a peaceful sit-in to protest plans to demolish a park in central Istanbul — the last green space in the city center.<\/p>\n

Some in the crowd chanted “Tayyip resign!”<\/p>\n

“Shoulder to shoulder against fascism!” they shouted.<\/p>\n

Riot police moved in, lobbing tear gas and using pepper spray. Protesters responded by hurling bottles, blocking bulldozers and setting up barricades. Eventually, protesters and police were locked in full-on clashes.<\/p>\n

Read: What’s driving protests and unrest<\/a><\/p>\n

Erdogan conceded Saturday that Turkish security forces had used tear gas excessively against demonstrators.<\/p>\n

Read: Erdogan: Successful leader or ‘dictator’?<\/a><\/p>\n

On Tuesday, a top Turkish official apologized for the “police aggression” and trade unions threw their weight behind the demonstrations.<\/p>\n

The 240,000-member KESK confederation of public-sector workers called for a two-day strike to protest what it calls the “fascism” of Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party.<\/p>\n

Riot police around Ankara’s central Kizilay Square brought in armored vehicles topped with water cannon in a show of force Tuesday evening, but the demonstrations throughout Wednesday were mostly calm.<\/p>\n

Read: Despite economic boom, protesters target Erdogan<\/a><\/p>\n

CNN’s Talia Kayali contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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