Istanbul’s European side is seeing its freedom eroded away

It was meant to be a relatively quiet event. A few fans gathering to take part in a global listening party in support of the new album by Radiohead, A Moon Shaped Pool. Instead what happened last Friday – and what followed over the weekend – has drawn attention to the changing nature of Istanbul.

For centuries this Turkish city has been a melting pot of cultures. Two continents living side by side, separated only by the Bosphorus strait. It’s not unusual for Istanbulian’s to have breakfast on the European side, lunch on the Asian side, only to pop back to Europe for a night cap. And to the untrained eye this city is as cosmopolitan and free as any European capital.

On any given night you can walk through the main drag Istiklal Street and see women wearing little to nothing. People pour out of bars in the early hours of the morning, and nobody batters an eye lid.