CNN
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Turkish police said that authorities had banned authorities as part of a long-standing clampdown of LGBTQ+ events as at least 30 people in central Istanbul tried to take part in the Pride march on Sunday, according to opposition politicians.
Footage obtained by Reuters showed police brawled with a group of activists who had raised rainbow flags in the city centre before cutting them up and loading them into police vans.
Kezban Konuk, a pro-Kurd Dem MP who attended in March, told Reuters that at least 30 people had been detained.
Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Istanbul Governor’s Office previously deemed the march illegal and said groups that promote the event were run “illegally.”
Authorities have banned Pride March in Turkey’s largest city since 2015, citing public safety and security concerns.
President Tayyip Erdogan’s Muslim-based AK Party has adopted increasingly harsh rhetoric against the LGBTQ+ community over the past decade.
In January, Erdogan declared 2025 as a “year of family,” describing the LGBTQ+ movement for undermining traditional values, describing Turkey’s declining birth rate as an existential threat.
“The main goal of the gender neutralization policy, which is being used by LGBTs as abuse RAM, is the sanctity of family and family institutions,” Erdogan said in January.
Rights groups have denounced Turkish stance. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have warned that government rhetoric and behavior promote a hostile environment for LGBTQ+ people, contributing to increased discrimination and violence.
Despite the ban, a small group of activists continues to mark Pride Week every year. Organizers say the increasingly aggressive police response reflects Turkish dissent and wider crackdowns on freedom of assembly.
