Despite the Turkish government banning a planned Pride march through the capital city of Istanbul over the weekend, hundreds of LGBTQ campaigners defied the authorities and proceeded to give speeches and wave rainbow flags.
Crowds of people gathered in the centre of the city to sing, dance, and give powerful speeches calling for LGBTQ rights in the country, before police moved in to clear the area.
The event lasted 40 minutes before authorities cracked down on the marchers, with reports suggesting that tear gas was used.
Human rights group Amnesty Turkey also added that several people had been detained as a result of the Pride parade.
Istanbul Pride has been banned by Turkish authorities for four years in a row now, with the last march happening back in 2014.
#IstanbulPride right now pic.twitter.com/ptFcRGvEox
— John Beck (@JM_Beck) July 1, 2018
— John Beck (@JM_Beck) July 1, 2018
During that year, an estimated 90,000 people walked through the city centre campaigning for equality.
In the previous three years, the Turkish government had banned the Pride parades as it coincided with the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
However, this year’s event was scheduled to happen after Ramadan, but authorities still refused campaigners permission to march.
Homosexuality was legalised in the Ottomon Empire back in 1958, and has been legal in Turkey since the country was founded in 1923.
However, public opinion on homosexuality has been increasingly conservative, and LGBTQ people have faced discrimination and even violence in recent years.
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