Teargas Against Turkish Gay Pride Activists | Currently Europe | '
The Turkish police used tear gas in Istanbul to protest activists who, despite a ban on the Gay Pride parade, demonstrated for the rights of homosexuals. Thousands of people gathered near the central Istiklal Street and Taksim Square, where the parade was supposed to take place, according to a correspondent from the news agency afp.
For the fifth time in a row, the annual Gay Pride parade had been canceled by the governor of the city. Also a public rally in a designated place in the Istanbul district Bakirköy was prohibited. The police, however, allowed for clustering in back roads where organizers of the Istanbul Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersexual Movement (LGBTI) left a statement. The police then used tear gas to disperse the participants. The police force at Taksimplatz was massive, and water cannons were ready.
The demonstrators, armed with rainbow flags, shouted "All together against fascism" and "We will not keep silent". Homosexuality is legal in Turkey, but gays and lesbians regularly report attacks and harassment.
Police use tear gas and plastic bullets to drive activists out
Sharp criticism of the organizers
Following the ban, the organizers emphasized, according to a prior declaration, that the march had been repeatedly banned, inter alia with reference to public safety. This shows that the leadership in Ankara is not governed. It is not the demonstration that threatens security, but the police who "attacked the people on the Pride marches for the last five years".
The Sunday statement ended the so-called Pride Week, in which the LGBTI community had organized numerous events. The organizers also criticized the ban on events in the western Turkish city of Izmir and Antalya in southern Turkey. They also called for a tougher and more consistent punishment of acts of violence against gays, lesbians and transsexuals.
In Turkey, the governors appointed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan decide on demonstrations. In the past year, gays, lesbians and transsexuals had gathered in Istanbul for a rally despite the ban, which was then dissolved by the police with water cannons and tear gas. Istanbul's new mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, told international journalists on Friday that every group should have the opportunity to demonstrate as long as their protests do not disturb peace. He will discuss the reasons for the ban with the relevant authorities.
kle / as (afp, dpa, ape)
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