Emma Watson shows support for Turkish men wearing miniskirts to protest violence against women

ISTANBUL

British actress Emma Watson has lent her support to skirt-wearing Turkish men who marched in Istanbul to protest the brutal murder of 20-year-old student Özgecan Aslan.

Watson, who was named a goodwill ambassador by the United Nations organization UN Women, took to Twitter to show her support and shared the link of a report over the skirt-wearing men’s protest, writing  “Go Turkish men!” with the hashtag #ozgecanicinminietekgiy (wear a miniskirt for Özgecan).

Many Turkish men also shared photos of themselves wearing skirts under this hashtag to show their support for women who have been victimized by a recent wave of male violence in Turkey.

Aslan’s burned body was discovered on Feb. 13 in a riverbed in the southern Turkish province of Mersin, triggering a public debate in which a women’s supposedly “provocative” attire has been cited as a reason for sexual assault and harassment by several conservative critics.

This was not the first time Watson joined a social media campaign launched by Turkish users. She also shared a photo of herself in June to support thousands of Turkish women who reacted against a Turkish politician who had called on them to stop laughing in public.