Police violence at Istanbul Pride

28 June 2015 – The 13^th Pride March in Istanbul was stopped abruptly yesterday and the participants who had gathered in thousands were forced to leave while they were being attacked by the Police forces under the command of the Governorate of Istanbul.

While for the last 12 years the Pride March has been taking place peacefully in Istanbul, with the last one gathering more than 50.000 participants, this time LGBTI people and their allies were brutally attacked by the police forces by using teargas, water cannons, rubber bullets and allowing anti-LGBT people to threaten participants with knives, bats etc. This order has been given by the Governorate of Istanbul which decided to arbitrarily ban the march in the last moment without first informing the organizers.

The attack started around 16:30 (30 minutes before the scheduled pride march would start). They used teargas and water cannons even as participants were finding refuge in the nearby shops and cafes. The police attack continued later on in the evening at the Closing Pride Party at the club Mekan. Many people who were inside were hurt as teargas was being thrown at them by the police from the rooftop.

LGBTI organizations and the LGBTI Pride Week Organizing Committee condemn this unacceptable act.

PINK Embassy / LGBT Pro Albania joins the protests of the LGBTI community and their allies in Turkey as well as the movement across Europe and condemns this ugly act which violates heavily the freedom of expression and association of Turkish citizens. Issues such as those of religious calendars cannot and should not serve to violate the basic civil liberties of citizens which are guaranteed by the Constitution.