ISTANBUL (AP) — A group of LGBTQ+ protesters held an impromptu demonstration in Istanbul on Sunday after the governor’s office banned an annual Pride March.
A statement by the Istanbul governor’s office said that it wouldn’t allow “various illegal groups” to hold the unauthorized march and fenced off Istanbul’s central Taksim Square and Istiklal Avenue, where Pride marches usually take place.
The annual Pride March has been banned in Istanbul since 2015, but demonstrators still gather in Taksim and Istiklal every year and clash with authorities.
To circumvent the ban, a group of more than 100 people gathered in the Suadiye neighborhood across town. The demonstrators waved rainbow flags and read a statement, before quickly dispersing when police arrived. The Istanbul Pride Committee said that there were “unconfirmed” reports of at least 15 protesters being detained.
Images on social media showed protesters holding pride flags and calling for an end to “polarization” and anti-LGBTQ+ language used by Turkish politicians.
Turkey previously was one of the few Muslim-majority countries to allow Pride marches. The first was held in 2003, the year after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party came to power.
In recent years, the government has adopted a harsh approach to public events by groups that don’t represent its religiously conservative views.
2024-12-25 22:00265 view
2024-12-25 21:49491 view
2024-12-25 21:08184 view
2024-12-25 20:52858 view
2024-12-25 20:071781 view
2024-12-25 19:52753 view
WASHINGTON (AP) — As several of President-elect Donald Trump’s choices for high-level positions in h
As the United States deploys more military power to the eastern Mediterranean, likely in the face of
The late Suzanne Somers, who played the bubbly blonde Chrissy Snow on the TV sitcom "Three's Company