Thousands protest Turkey’s exit from domestic violence treaty

Protesters rally for second consecutive weekend to demand reversal of decision to withdraw from Istanbul Convention.

Protesters have taken to the streets of Istanbul for the second straight weekend to protest against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to withdraw from an international treaty to combat violence against women. Erdogan last week sparked anger with the announcement Turkey was pulling out of the Istanbul Convention, named after the Turkish city where it was drafted in 2011. Justifying the decision to withdraw, the presidency argued the treaty had been “hijacked by a group of people attempting to normalise homosexuality” which it said was “incompatible” with Turkey’s “social and family values”.