Whistling, chanting, and hopping on the spot, a few thousand women defy a local ban on protests to stage an impromptu "Feminist Night March" on the side streets of central Istanbul under the watchful eye of the police. Armed security personnel barricaded the entrances to Istanbul’s historic Taksim Square – the original protest venue – forcing women to regroup in other locations. With President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government keen to crack down on the event, many of the demonstrators hope that this year's presidential election will allow for less restrictions at the next women's day event. "I hope that next year we will be able to do a more free and joyful march," one protester says, whilst another adds that she hopes "that this is the last year that we are facing the barricades, that this is the last 8th of March where we are locked in the back streets." IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES