Turkey uses tear gas to break up gay pride gathering

Turkish LGBT activists had planned to have a Pride parade today in Istanbul. Instead, the governor’s office banned the event, as well as other LGBT demonstrations planned for Pride Month. When LGBT people gathered anyway, police responded with tear gas and arrests.

The Wall Street Journal reported that, “Organizers called off Sunday’s annual gay pride parade in Istanbul after the governor’s office banned the event.

“Instead, the Istanbul LGBTI and Pride committee said in a vaguely worded statement late Friday that followers would gather on every street in the city’s central Beyoglu district, a plan that could risk a potential conflict with the police.”

WSJ said that LGBT Pride parades had been held beginning in 2003, with crowds growing to the tens of thousands in 2014. The paper states that, “The city is a relative safe haven for members of the gay community from Middle Eastern countries that outlaw homosexuality.”

Parades were peaceful until 2015, when the event fell during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. That year, according to the WSJ, police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse people who defied the ban.

The Associated Press reported, “Police in Istanbul have used tear gas and have detained activists who gathered to mark gay pride week after authorities banned their rally in the city. At least 19 activists have been detained.

“Police on Sunday rounded up several activists who assembled on a main pedestrian street to issue a statement in honor of gay rights and to denounce the ban. Police later fired tear gas and rubber pellets to disperse activists gathering in side streets. Two European Parliament legislators were also briefly detained.

“The German news agency DPA reported the Green Party lawmaker Volker Beck, an outspoken activist for gay rights, was detained Sunday when he wanted to speak publicly at the end of the gay, lesbian and transgender ‘Pride Week,’” according to the AP.

“DPA quoted Beck as saying, ‘The police tore away my passport and pushed me around.’

“Beck was later released. DPA gave no further details about the incident.

“Turkish police have repeatedly in recent days prevented activists from participated in LGBT rallies. The Istanbul governor earlier had banned people from holding two annual gay parades this year, including Sunday's parade,” the AP concluded. The earlier banned parade was for Trans Pride.

Copyright 2016 The Gayly – June 26, 2016 @ 1:25 p.m.