Violence erupts as Turkish protesters stage kissing display to denounce subway ban on public kissing

Would a kissing protest ever happen in Canada? Maybe. Would it ever happen because a political party and transit authority in one of the major cities discouraged public kissing? Probably not.

Yet in Turkey, a country whose secular citizens and politicians fear the expansion of Sharia-ruled Islam, discouraging public kissing can become a significant issue symbolizing clashing worldviews.

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This past Saturday, violence erupted as a group of approximately 100 demonstrators took to an Ankara subway station to openly kiss with signs reading "Free Kisses," the Associated Press reports.

Dozens of kissing couples protested an announcement made last week by Ankara subway officials and the conservative Islamic political party Justice and Development Party (AKP) that asked passengers "to act in accordance with moral rules" after spotting a couple kissing on security cameras.

One of the demonstrators was stabbed by someone in an opposition group in favour of the "ban" on kissing, despite police barricades between the two groups, reports the Washington Times.

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The counter-protest group involved around 20 Islamists who were chanting, “Allah Akhbar” and carrying knives while attacking demonstrators, reports the Egypt Independent.

So while PDA may seem like a minor matter in the minds of many Canadians, know that in other parts of the world it can ignite violence.