Istanbul
Updated on 6/25/2023 5:26 PM
People chant slogans during the gay pride parade in Istanbul. © dpa / Emrah Gurel / AP / dpa
According to organizers, at least 40 people were arrested during this year’s LGBT Pride Parade in the Turkish city of Istanbul. Before the start of the demonstration on Sunday, police cordoned off large parts of the center to prevent gatherings.
Participants then moved to another part of the city. They waved a meter-long rainbow flag over a building and issued a press release. Several hundred people attended the event.
Government is openly hostile
In Turkey, government officials and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have repeatedly spoken out as openly hostile to lesbian, gay, transgender and queer (LGBT) people. Attempts were made for years to stop the annual demonstration.
The governor of Istanbul province, Davut Gül, had already announced in advance that he would not allow events that “threaten the family”. Several events related to the so-called LGBT Pride month to give visibility to LGBT people were banned, including a picnic and a film screening. © dpa