( CNN ) -- She has become a symbol of the violent protests in Turkey . Across social media , she 's known as `` The Woman in Red . '' Wearing a red summer dress and a delicate necklace , the woman walked among demonstrators in Istanbul 's Taksim Square when a security officer lurched at her and pepper-sprayed her so powerfully her hair was blown upward . She could do nothing but turn away from the toxic spray . The officer , wearing a gas mask , lunged closer to her , unleashing more spray on the back of her neck . She covered her mouth as officers spray others . The photos of the incident have been shared widely on social media in recent days . International headlines have proclaimed her an `` icon '' of the movement against the government of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan . `` That photo encapsulates the essence of this protest , '' a math student named Esra told Reuters . `` The violence of the police against peaceful protesters , people just trying to protect themselves and what they value . '' The images have also inspired cartoons and graffiti in Turkey and around the world . And just seeing a woman in a red dress walking in public has apparently touched a chord with other women in the region , too . Zeinobia tweeted , `` The woman in red in Turkey , I wish to wear such dress in downtown Cairo without fear , without protests , without sexual harassment . '' But the truth is that woman in red told CNN Wednesday that she wants no part of this . What 's happening in Turkey is the `` people 's revolt , '' she said . Ceyda Sungur told Turkey 's TV 24 that she is uncomfortable about her new fame . She does n't want to be an icon of a movement . `` There are a lot of people who were at the park and they were also tear-gassed , '' she said . `` There is not ( a ) difference between them and I . '' But , she added , `` I am not surprised '' about the violence that evolved from what began days ago as a peaceful sit-in to protest plans to demolish a park in central Istanbul -- the last green space in the city center . Some in the crowd chanted `` Tayyip resign ! '' `` Shoulder to shoulder against fascism ! '' they shouted . Riot police moved in , lobbing tear gas and using pepper spray . Protesters responded by hurling bottles , blocking bulldozers and setting up barricades . Eventually , protesters and police were locked in full-on clashes . Erdogan conceded Saturday that Turkish security forces had used tear gas excessively against demonstrators . On Tuesday , a top Turkish official apologized for the `` police aggression '' and trade unions threw their weight behind the demonstrations . The 240,000-member KESK confederation of public-sector workers called for a two-day strike to protest what it calls the `` fascism '' of Erdogan 's ruling Justice and Development Party . Riot police around Ankara 's central Kizilay Square brought in armored vehicles topped with water cannon in a show of force Tuesday evening , but the demonstrations throughout Wednesday were mostly calm . CNN 's Talia Kayali contributed to this report .
Ceyda Sungur is pepper - sprayed by security forces . Images of her in a red dress , unarmed , lead people to call her an icon of the protests . Sungur says there is no difference between her and others pepper - gassed in the park . Events in Turkey have been raging for days , as the police interact with demonstrators .