More than 40 LGBTI rights activists were arrested during a Pride parade in Istanbul this Sunday, organizers said, despite bans and a heavy police presence in the Turkish city.
Authorities in Istanbul and several other Turkish provinces have banned all planned LGBTI events, including marches.
Access to traditional parade grounds for LGBTI groups in Istanbul, such as Istiklal Street and Taksim Square, was closed by police and nearby metro stops were closed.
The LGBTI groups announced they would meet at 3 p.m. local time, but did not reveal the location until the last minute.
Finally, they gathered in a park in the Nisantasi district, where they unfurled a giant rainbow flag.
Activists present in the park chanted slogans such as “Get used to us!”, “Run away, Tayyip (Erdogan, Turkish president), run away. The homosexuals are coming!”
The police arrived on the spot and declared the demonstration illegal.
Organizers claim that more than 40 people were detained.
The Pride Parade has been banned by the Istanbul government for the past four years, coinciding with a toughening of speech against the LGBTI minority by Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamist government.
Source: DN
