On June 27, Turkish riot police used tear-gas and rubber bullets to disrupt Istanbul’s annual pride parade after the the governor’s office refused to grant a permit for the event. The police arrested dozens of marchers, as well as journalists who were covering the event. The police attack comes amid a period of mounting hostilities against the nation’s LGBTIQ+ community. The pride parade has been held annually since 2003, despite being officially banned since 2014. Videos shared on social media show hundreds of people gathered on Istiklal Avenue, a popular tourist destination, chanting “Rainbow is not a crime, discrimination is.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who voiced support for the LGBTQ community prior to being elected, and senior members of his government have recently voiced strong anti-LGBTIQ+ sentiment in an effort to appeal to more conservative voters. In early 2021, President Erdogan was widely condemned for comments made in an address to members of his government where he claimed that “there was no such thing as LGBT” and labeled LGBT student protestors as “terrorists.”
While the government stands by the police action as a justified response in line with COVID-19 protocols, advocacy groups believe, in line with recent government behavior, it was another method of silencing the LGBTIQ+ community.
From Jurist, June 28. Used with permission.
Note: Earlier this year, Turkey wthdrew from the Istanbul Convention on violence against women, on the specious grounds that it promotes homosexuality.
Image via Madonna Turkey
Hundreds protest Turkey’s withdrawal from Istanbul Convention
Hundreds of women gathered on Istanbul’s Istiklal (Independence) Avenue, carrying banners, purple flags and signs in support of the Istanbul Convention—an international treaty to prevent violence against women. The mood was festive, but the reason for gathering, somber: Turkey’ formal withdrawal from the Convention as of July 1. (PRI)
Police fire tear gas at women protesters in Istanbul
Turkish police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse thousands, mostly women, who took to the streets of Istanbul to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The protests, part of a week of nationwide mobilization, came amid calls for Turkey to rejoin the Istanbul Convention, a landmark agreement to protect women that includes 45 countries and was signed in Turkey’s largest city in 2011. (Al Jazeera)
Turkish police disperse Istanbul Pride —again
Turkish police on June 30 raided the Pride Parade in Istanbul, detaining at least 15 people for participating in a banned LGBTQ+ rally, according to accounts from participants and witness testimony to Reuters.
Turkish police blocked metro stations and obstructed traffic on the primary roads in central European Istanbul. In response, the demonstrators held their rally on Istanbul’s Asian side for roughly ten minutes, before dispersing upon the arrival of police.
A similar incident occurred at last year’s banned Pride event, where several people were also arrested for participating. President Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted AK Party has toughened its rhetoric against the LGBTQ+ community over the past decade and banned pride marches since 2015, citing “security reasons.” (Jurist)