Do Not Misrepresent This Protest: These Women Were Speaking About Femicide

Images travel quickly on social media. When they lose their original context, they are sometimes used to support narratives that were never part of the moment captured.

This photograph is currently circulating online. Sadly it has been presented in non Turkish speaking circles as evidence that women were demonstrating in support of stray dogs.

That is incorrect.

The protest shown in the photograph was not about dogs.

What the Protest Was Actually About

The demonstration was part of a women’s rights movement addressing violence against women and the protections associated with the Istanbul Convention.

Several placards visible in the image make this clear.

One reads “İstanbul Sözleşmesi Yaşatır”, which translates as “The Istanbul Convention Saves Lives.” Other signs call for equality and remembrance of women who have been killed.

These slogans are widely used in demonstrations focused on femicide and women’s safety.

The purpose of the gathering was therefore very specific: to draw attention to violence against women and demand protection and justice.

The Dog in the Photograph

The dog in the image is simply a street dog who happened to be present.

In Istanbul this is entirely normal. Street dogs are part of the daily life of the city. They move freely through neighbourhoods, parks, markets and public squares. It is not unusual to see them resting near cafés, following pedestrians, or sitting quietly in crowded places.

Occasionally they appear in public gatherings such as festivals, markets, or demonstrations. The dog in this photograph appears to be doing exactly that, sitting calmly among people in a shared public space.

How Images Become Misleading

When a photograph is removed from its context and paired with a new narrative, it can quickly spread misinformation. In this case, the image has been reframed as evidence of a protest about stray dogs when the signs clearly show that the demonstration concerned women’s rights.

This kind of misinterpretation often happens unintentionally, sometimes on purpose. Social media encourages quick sharing, and visually striking moments can be reposted many times before the original context is checked.

Why Accuracy Matters

For those working in street dog welfare, accuracy is important.

Street dogs in Turkey face complex challenges that require thoughtful discussion and practical solutions. Misrepresenting unrelated events as animal advocacy may attract attention online, but it does little to advance real progress for the dogs themselves.

Equally, it risks overshadowing the issue that people had gathered to protest in the first place.

In this case, the women in the photograph were demonstrating about violence against women and the protections they believe are necessary to address it.

Violence against women and femicide are among the most serious human rights concerns raised by women’s groups in Turkey. Each year hundreds of women are killed, most often by men they know, prompting ongoing demonstrations demanding protection, justice and systemic change.

The women who stood there deserve to have their message heard, not replaced.

In the end, the focus should remain on the women who gathered there. They were not protesting about stray dogs. They were protesting the killing of women. Their placards carry the names of victims, and their message is clear: violence against women must stop. When that moment is rewritten to fit a different narrative online, it risks erasing the purpose of their protest and the voices of the women who stood there demanding justice.

Their protest was about the lives of women, the violent deaths of women at the hands of brutal men and that truth should not be rewritten.