Thousands march in Madrid to mark International Women's Day
By Reuters
March 8 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of women marched in demonstrations across Spain on Friday to protest against gender inequality and to mark International Women's Day.
To mark the occasion, Spain's Equality Minister Ana Redondo announced on Friday the government would revive a human trafficking law which was proposed last year but was not passed because of July's general election.
The new legislation will mean that, among other things, victims will not be obliged to make an official report which can sometimes deter them from making claims about alleged traffickers.
Item 1 of 5 People holding light candles take part in a protest in front of Madrid Town Hall lit in purple to mark International Women's Day in Madrid, Spain, March 8, 2024. REUTERS/Juan Medina
[1/5]People holding light candles take part in a protest in front of Madrid Town Hall lit in purple to mark International Women's Day in Madrid, Spain, March 8, 2024. REUTERS/Juan Medina Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
In Madrid, the Plaza Cibeles fountain was turned purple with lights to mark the colour of the feminist movement while protesters wearing white masks and disguises took to the streets.
"We women, we haven’t been heard for a long time and we are so tired of not having the same benefits and having to struggle to the basic needs," Natalia Hofmann, 34, a psychologist, said in an interview in Barcelona.
Protests were held by thousands of feminist groups in 40 Spanish cities.
Hong Kong's Court of Appeal on Wednesday granted an application by the government to ban a protest anthem called "Glory to Hong Kong", overturning a lower court judgment that had rejected such a ban because of its possible "chilling effects" on free speech.
A FedEx Airlines Boeing cargo plane landed at Istanbul Airport on Wednesday without its front landing gear deployed and managed to stay on the runway, Turkey's transport ministry said, adding that there were no casualties.
Gulbakhor Ismailova, the sister of Uzbek-Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, lost a legal battle on Wednesday to overturn EU sanctions placed on her after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.