Millions sign petition against headscarf ban in Turkey

An umbrella trade union known as the Confederation of Public Servants’ Trade Unions (Memur-Sen) has collected 12.3 million signatures in a petition campaign to lift a ban on wearing headscarves in government offices, Hurriyet Daily News reports.

“We do not want to wear the uniforms designed by pro-coup mindset and we declare that we will not wear them,” said head of Mmeur Sen Ahmet Gündoğdu said yesterday, according to the union’s website.

The “10 Million Signature Campaign for Free Dress Code in Public Areas” reached its target in a short span of time as Memur-Sen, which is the biggest confederation of public servants with 650,000 members, held various events, including a demonstration in front of Parliament on Nov. 30, 2012, and a civil disobedience action on January 2 that involved going to workplaces in clear violation of the dress code.

Adapted from: Vestnik Kavkaza