Turkey clashes: The Woman in the Red Dress

Ceyda Sungur found herself facing a bank of riot police

... one of whom fired tear gas at her

She turned her face away as he continued

She was left gasping for breath, and later reportedly collapsed

A series of images of a woman in a red dress have become a potent symbol of the anti-government demonstrations in Istanbul.

Ceyda Sungur, an academic at Istanbul's Technical University, had gone to Gezi Park to defend it against a controversial redevelopment project to concrete over one of the last green spaces in the city.

When Ms Sungur arrived, she found herself in front of a line of riot police. One of them bent down and fired tear gas at her, leaving her gasping for breath.

Reuters photographer Osman Orsal captured the moment, and the images soon went viral on social media, in cartoons and as stickers and posters used by other protesters.

In the city of Izmir, her picture has even been transformed into a giant billboard. Sympathisers can put their head through a hole where Ms Sungur's face should be, and pose for photos.

The images make good publicity for critics of the government.

In her demure red dress and necklace, carrying a small shoulder bag, Ms Sungur looks more like she's going to a summer fete than a violent protest - adding weight to the demonstrators' argument that the police were too heavy-handed.

The pictures also call into question Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statement that the protesters were extremists "living arm in arm with terrorism".

Ms Sungur told Turkish media she was a "reluctant figurehead", and just a tiny part of a huge grassroots movement to save Gezi Park.

"A lot of people no different from me were out protecting the park, defending their rights, defending democracy," she said. "They also got gassed."

But whether she likes it or not, Ceyda Sungur may find herself forever known as the "lady in the red dress", the iconic image of these Turkish protests.