Protest against horse-drawn carriages in Istanbul

ISTANBUL- A group of cyclists calling themselves as "life defenders" protested against horse-drawn cabs (phaetons), demanding for abolition, met for a bicycle convoy for justice.

On a sunny afternoon on May 13 2018, around 30 protesters with bicycles gathered in front of the Kadikoy Princes' Islands Ferry Port and distributed leaflets to inform the public about the slavery of horses being used for transportation purposes in Turkey, in a protest organized by Don Kişot Bisiklet Kolektifi (Don Quixote Cycling Collective).

Protesters then started cycling from Kadikoy to Bostanci, a 10 km route, shouting out slogans along the way such as "Get off the horse cab ride a bike!", "Liberation for animals, humans and the earth!", "Revolt, animal, liberation!", "Revolt, revolution, bicycle!" while some participants held signs asking people to go vegan.

                                                       go vegan/break the cabs, liberate the horses

The convoy reached Bostanci Ferry Port in 1 hour and 30 minutes while the public showed their support by clapping their hands throughout the route.

In the public statement, the group declared: "As defenders of life we, have burnt the bridges, rolled up ours sleeves. Like other animals, horses too, are being used under the authority of humans with every strike of the whip being thrown at them. It is time to rise up for the animals that are being kept as slaves for the transportation needs of humans and against the mentality that see them as mere objects. Horse cab "accidents" are nothing but systemic murders for animals as well as the human ride them. It's not the 'better treatment' we are after, we want the abolishment of the horse-drawn vehicles. We want freedom for the horses. It's time to get off the horse cab and ride a bike for good!"