Turkish riot police have used batons and gas to break up a demonstration for women’s rights. They moved in when around 100 leftwing protesters refused to leave a square in Istanbul.

The scenes that followed were brutal, with men and women pushed to the ground, kicked in the head and sprayed with gas. Many were left crouching in a ball with their hands protecting them. The pictures are not likely to play well in Brussels after Turkey was given the green light to start EU entry talks. Police say the demonstration was not authorised. At least 63 people were arrested. International Women’s Day is on March 8. Rights groups say women in rural parts of Turkey are often subject to domestic violence and an unequal, patriarchal society.

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