Unchain my vote: Handcuffs and sexism in Parliament

Minutes after independent deputy Aylin Nazlıaka handcuffed herself to the rostrum during the ongoing constitutional debate, I took a small poll on what my friends thought of the protest. The first reaction, based on the fleeting images of the deputy handcuffed to the mike, were mostly negative. Many thought Nazlıaka was engaged in yet another mediatic act that prioritized showmanship over content. 

But the reaction changed quickly as the message became clearer. Nazlıaka was giving a message to National Movement Party (MHP) deputies who were "chained to a position" that was against their campaign promises.

"How can you put your head on your pillow and sleep? How can you look in the face of the people around you, your wife and your children, as you shake the roots of our republic?" said the independent deputy, who was recently expelled from the Republican People's Party (CHP). The handcuff gesture was one that aimed to mimic the MHP deputies so-called forced "yes" votes and also show the frustration of the "No" bloc, which claims that their efforts to express their opinions and lobby are being thwarted. 

But then this gesture, neither violent nor novel, created the first female brawl in the Turkish Parliament.

Other deputies started forming a ring around her, first in an attempt to remove her from the rostrum, then to start a scuffle. What ensued was a fight among the female deputies from different parties - one that resulted in Şafak Pavey of the CHP being thrown to the floor on her artificial leg. Another photo was that of a Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy, Gökçen Özdoğan Enç, running with her hair in the air as she prepared to attack other female deputies. Many of the AKP supporters, including the mayor of Ankara,...