#Police #break #Istanbul #Pride #parade #arrest
Turkish police violently intervened in a Pride march in Istanbul on Sunday, arresting more than 150 protesters and an AFP photographer, local AFP journalists and an NGO, they reported.
The governor’s office had banned the march around Taksim Square in the heart of Istanbul, but protesters gathered nearby earlier than planned amid heavy police presence.
Police arrested demonstrators and loaded them onto buses. AFP journalists saw four buses full of people who had been detained, including AFP chief photographer Bulent Kilic, who had been handcuffed from behind.
Kilic, who was also arrested during the Pride march last year, was in police custody.
Hundreds of protesters with rainbow flags thronged the rally despite police.
“The future is strange,” they sang. “We’re here. We’re queer. We’re not going anywhere.”
The Kaos GL Association, which works to promote the human rights of LGBTQ people against discrimination, said on Twitter that police have arrested more than 150 Pride participants and LGBTQ activists.
The group said eight others were arrested in the western city of Izmir.
Police prevented the press from filming the arrests, according to AFP journalists.
– ‘All must be released’ –
“Anyone who is detained solely for participating in Pride must be released immediately and unconditionally,” Amnesty International’s Milena Buyum said.
Diren, a 22-year-old university student, has condemned hate crimes against LGBTQ people.
“We are banned, prevented, discriminated against and even killed every second of our lives. Today is a very special day for us to defend our rights and say we exist,” Diren told AFP.
“Police violence is aimed at stopping us, but that is not possible. You won’t be able to stop the queers.”
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic, urged the Turkish authorities on Friday to allow the march.
“I call on the Istanbul authorities to lift the recent ban on Istanbul Pride and to ensure the safety and the right to peaceful assembly of the protesters,” she said in a statement.
“The human rights of LGBTI people in Turkey must be effectively protected.”
Although homosexuality has been legal throughout the modern Turkish Republic, LGBTQ people point to regular harassment and abuse.
Istanbul Pride has been held every year since 2003.
The last march to take place without a ban – in 2014 – drew tens of thousands of participants in one of the largest LGBTQ events in the Muslim-majority region.
In 2020, streaming giant Netflix canceled production in Turkey of a series with a gay character after failing to get government approval to film it.
In the same year, French sports brand Decathlon faced boycott calls in Turkey for publishing messages of support for LGBTQ people.
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