Turkish police detained at least 50 people on Sunday after Istanbul’s LGBTQ community held their annual Pride march.
The government led by President Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted AK party has hardened its stance on LGBTQ freedoms. Speaking after his electoral victory in a runoff last month, Erdogan accused opposition parties of being “pro-LGBT.”
On Sunday, policemen in riot gear blocked access to Istiklal Avenue, the traditional site of Pride marches, as well as the central Taksim Square. Nearby streets were blocked and public transportation in the area was suspended.
On Sunday afternoon, hundreds of people carrying rainbow and transgender flags gathered at Mistik Park in Sisli district.
They chanted slogans as organizers read a statement to mark Pride week. A large rainbow flag was hung in a nearby multi-story parking garage.
Groups of people carrying rainbow flags marched through the streets of the Sisli district before organizers ordered them to disperse.
Police detained more than 50 people after the march, organizers said. The Amnesty International office in Turkey said at least one person suffered head injuries while being detained by police.
The organizers said that their community had already been attacked by Erdogan.
“We do not accept this policy of hate and denial,” Istanbul LGBTI+ Pride Week said in its statement.
In the coastal city of Izmir, the country’s third-largest, police detained at least 44 people on Sunday after authorities banned the Pride march, Istanbul LGBTI+ Pride Week said.
Homosexuality is not a crime in Turkey, but hostility towards it is widespread and police crackdowns on Pride parades have grown harsher over the years.
Istanbul Governor Davut Gul said on Twitter this month that any activity that threatens the traditional family structure would not be allowed.
