Turkish police stop Istanbul Gay Pride with tear gas and plastic bullets
[attachment=3564]GettyImages-541219786-1466366164.jpg[/attachment]
Turkish police used tear gas and plastic bullets to disperse demonstrators who gathered for a gay pride rally in Istanbul in defiance of a government ban.
The city’s governor had cited security concerns in preventing two annual parades from happening this year. One took place today on 19.06.2016, the other big one is planned for next weekend (26th June).
Earlier this week an ultra-nationalist youth group vowed to stop the march if it went ahead, calling the event immoral.
Dozens of people gathered in support of the LGBT parade just off a major commercial street.
Police called on them to disperse and prevented activists from marching or making statements.
On Friday Istanbul’s authorities said a parade planned for next week would be banned.
Security is tight after several bombings in recent months, blamed on Kurdish militants and the self-styled Islamic State group.
But organisers denounced the ban as a “flagrant violation of the constitution and the law”. Last year police fired water cannon at a gay pride event.
There was a small homophobic protest on Sunday. Anti-gay sentiment remains widespread in Turkey although homosexuality is not a crime.
Source: EuroNews Website, 2016/19/06 - 18:40 CET
http://www.euronews.com/2016/06/19/turkish-police-stop-istanbul-gay-pride-event-with-tear-gas-and-plastic-bullets/
http://metro.co.uk/2016/06/19/police-use-rubber-bullets-and-tear-gas-to-break-up-gay-pride-rally-5954575/
[attachment=3566]riot-police-gay-pride.jpg[/attachment]
Turkish police used tear gas and plastic bullets to disperse demonstrators who gathered for a gay pride rally in Istanbul in defiance of a government ban.
The city’s governor had cited security concerns in preventing two annual parades from happening this year. One took place today on 19.06.2016, the other big one is planned for next weekend (26th June).
Earlier this week an ultra-nationalist youth group vowed to stop the march if it went ahead, calling the event immoral.
Dozens of people gathered in support of the LGBT parade just off a major commercial street.
Police called on them to disperse and prevented activists from marching or making statements.
On Friday Istanbul’s authorities said a parade planned for next week would be banned.
Security is tight after several bombings in recent months, blamed on Kurdish militants and the self-styled Islamic State group.
But organisers denounced the ban as a “flagrant violation of the constitution and the law”. Last year police fired water cannon at a gay pride event.
There was a small homophobic protest on Sunday. Anti-gay sentiment remains widespread in Turkey although homosexuality is not a crime.
Source: EuroNews Website, 2016/19/06 - 18:40 CET
http://www.euronews.com/2016/06/19/turkish-police-stop-istanbul-gay-pride-event-with-tear-gas-and-plastic-bullets/
http://metro.co.uk/2016/06/19/police-use-rubber-bullets-and-tear-gas-to-break-up-gay-pride-rally-5954575/
[attachment=3566]riot-police-gay-pride.jpg[/attachment]