Turkey police bash LGBT pride parade in Istanbul

 | 
6/26/21

Turkey’s far-right ruling party, which is known for its frequent homophobic remarks, sent its police to attack a peaceful LGBT pride parade in Istanbul on Saturday. Turkey’s government has become increasingly authoritarian and hostile to gay rights, bashing activists over the years. Government officials have accused gay-rights activists of being “deviants,” and the ruling AKP Party, which has roots in the Muslim Brotherhood, has frequently pushed hate speech against gay people. The future of Turkey belonged to right-leaning Islamist youth, not “LGBT youth,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech in February. AKP has cracked down and suppressed gay rights and Pride Month for a decade under an increasingly authoritarian agenda. Headlines in 2006 said gay rights were moving in a positive direction toward equality, but gay-rights activists are now beaten by police. Journalists have been rounded up and imprisoned to a level that makes Turkey the largest jailor of journalists in the world, according to Amnesty International, PEN and other groups. In photos that activists said conjured up the murder of George Floyd in the US, police in Istanbul appeared to put their knee on the neck of photojournalist Bulent Kilic as they detained him. Police harassed people at restaurants and anyone filming their attacks on the pride protesters on Saturday. Nevertheless, many thousands of Turkish activists took to the streets and braved the police attacks.

Regions: ,

Share this:

Latest Global News

Added on: 11/06/2024
11/05/2024
Democrat Sarah McBride became the first openly transgender person elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, Edison Research projected on Tuesday, winning election to …
Added on: 11/06/2024
11/05/2024
Lesbians and queer women in Haiti are living in fear after notorious gang leader Krisla, who is believed to be behind numerous heinous kidnappings, …
Added on: 11/06/2024
11/05/2024
The case of 36-year-old Sihle Mchunu, who has been missing since October 28, has cast a shadow of worry and uncertainty over her family …

Explore LGBTQ+ Issues

Other News from ,

Added on: 11/06/2024
George White, a 31-year-old transgender man and Religious Education teacher at St. Paul’s Catholic School in Leicester, recently took part in a historic meeting …
Added on: 11/05/2024
The Vatican has introduced a bold new mascot, Luce, to engage with younger generations in the upcoming Jubilee Year 2025, a special period of …
Added on: 11/03/2024
There is only one more day left to find out if Torremolinos will finally host EuroPride 2027, the biggest LGBT event in Europe, which …