Turkish police fired tear gas at Pride train in Istanbul

In recent years, Turkish authorities have repeatedly banned pride events, and on Saturday, riot police used tear gas to disperse a crowd of hundreds of people who had gathered in central Istanbul for a rally, he wrote. Reuters.

Twenty-five people were reportedly arrested, including an AFP photographer Deutsche Welle.

The participants consisted of members of several organizations who came together under the slogan “The Streets Are Ours”.

Discrimination is a crime, not a rainbow, a group of people chanted.

Pictures show how some of the participants were pushed and pulled by riot police on Istiklal Street in central Istanbul. You can also see how the police pushed AFP photographer Bulent Kilic to the ground with the help of his knees.

Reporters Without Borders in Turkey demanded the immediate release of Bulent Kilic, and shortly afterwards, AFP reported that he had been released.

Local authorities Beyoglu District banned all events during Pride Week on June 20-26, citing reasons that may cause concern in the community.

In the past, thousands of people would take part in Pride trains on Istiklal Avenue, but in recent years, the Erdogan-led government’s stance toward the gay community has hardened and police have used increasingly harsh gloves against the pride parades. Although homosexuality is not a crime in the country, hostility is widespread.

Last year, Erdogan praised his party’s youth union for not being a member of the “Gay Youth”. Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, in turn, described some university students as “LGBT perverts.”