JINHA

AYDIN/IZMIR –Women across Turkey are joining the campaign to "turn our backs on President Erdoğan," holding "back-turning actions" to condemn the President's sexist remarks in a wave of women's resistance. Women in the Aegean cities of Aydın and Izmir joined the campaign.

The movement of women turning their backs on Erdoğan was sparked by a protest in the eastern province of Iğdır. On Monday, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan came to Iğdır as part of an election campaign that is illegal for the President to conduct in Turkey. A group of local women gathered to turn their backs on his convoy as it went past. The president then made sexist remarks about the women, calling them "immoral" and "impudent."

"As women, we don't see Erdoğan as President anymore and we're turning our backs on him," said Filiz Koçali, a Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) candidate for Parliament in Aydın province, among the many women "turning their backs" in the Aegean province. Women say Erdoğan's sexist language has aggravated and encouraged a wave of femicide in the country.

In the city of Izmir, women led by the Congress of Free Women (KJA) held a back-turning action to denounce the President. They called on him to apologize to all women.

(mg/ck/fk/cm)