Dozens arrested in Istanbul as LGBT marchers try to defy Pride ban

Türkiye’s largest city has banned the march since 2015, but large crowds nonetheless gather every year to mark the end of Pride Month. Organisers called the ban unlawful

The Turkish government has recently adopted a harsh approach to public events by groups that do not represent its religiously conservative Muslim views

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Police officers prevent an activist from marching in a pride parade, which was banned by local authorities, in central Istanbul, Turkey on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 5:10am, 27 Jun 2022Updated: 8:37am, 27 Jun 2022

Dozens of people were detained in central Istanbul after city authorities banned an LGBT Pride march, organisers said on Sunday.

Türkiye’s largest city has banned the march since 2015, but large crowds nonetheless gather every year to mark the end of Pride Month. Organisers called the ban unlawful.

“We do not give up, we are not afraid! We will continue our activities in safe places and online,” the Istanbul LGBTI+ Pride Week Committee said on Twitter.

Kaos GL, a prominent LGBT group, said before the march’s 5pm start that police had detained 52 people. The Pride Week Committee later said more than 100 had been arrested.

There was no immediate word on the number of arrests from the police or the governor’s office.

Images on social media showed people being frisked and loaded onto buses, including at least one news photographer. Journalists’ union DISK Basin-Is said “many” were beaten by police.