Despite the bans and a strong police presence, LGTBI groups organized a Pride parade this Sunday in Istanbul, where more than 40 activists were detained.
Authorities in Istanbul and several other Turkish provinces have banned all LGTBI events planned for Pride Week, including marches.
Access to traditional LGTBI group parade sites in Istanbul, such as Istiklal Street and Taksim Square, were closed by the police and nearby metro stops were closed.
The LGTBI groups announced that they would meet at 3:00 p.m. local time, but did not reveal the place until the last moment. Finally, they gathered in a park in the Nisantasi district where they unfurled a gigantic rainbow flag.
Activists in the park chanted slogans such as “You will get used to us!” “Run, Tayyip (Turkish President Erdogan), run. The homosexuals are coming!”
Police arrived at the scene and declared the demonstration illegal, while organizers report that more than 40 people were arrested.
The Pride parade has been banned by the Istanbul Governorate for the last 4 years, coinciding with a hardening of the discourse against the LGTBI minority by the Islamist government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
