Istanbul: After searching the streets after arriving at the scene after participants had dispersed, Turkish police detained at least 15 protesters on Sunday ( Jun 30 ) for participating in a prohibited LGBT Pride rally.
The Istanbul Governor’s Office said earlier on Sunday that the Pride March would not be permitted. Turkey police slowed down subway stations and slowed traffic on the principal streets in order to stop the march from occurring in Istanbul’s central area.
The Islamic-rooted AK Party of President Tayyip Erdogan has toughened its speech against the LGBT community over the past ten years and banned pleasure marches since 2015, citing” protection reasons.”
The companies calling for the Pride March were deemed by the Istanbul Governor’s Office to be illegal.