From: NewNowNext
Just days after canceling Istanbul Pride, authorities in the Turkish city sent riot police to fire tear gas and rubber bullets at participants in a LGBT rights march near Taksim Square.
Several hundred police surrounded the main square, a frequent protest site, and fired on demonstrators along Istiklal Avenue.
Sunday’s rally, which incorporated calls for transgender rights and support for the victims of the mass shooting in Orlando, was held in defiance of the government’s decision Friday to ban any public LGBT demonstrations during Ramadan.
Authorities cited security concerns, but activists claim the government caved to demands by ultranationalists, who insisted “degenerates” shouldn’t be allowed to demonstrate.
“Football fans can rally in this country whenever they want,” said Ebru Kırancı, a spokeswoman for the Lambdaistanbul LGBTI Solidarity Association.
“We were going to do a peaceful activity. [The] holy month of Ramadan is an excuse. If you are going to respect Ramadan, respect us too. The heterosexuals think it’s too much for us, only two hours in 365 days.”
Established in 2003, Istanbul Pride is the largest LGBT event in the Muslim world, drawing 100,000 people in 2014.
It was broken up last year by police, though, who turned fire hoses on participants. This year’s even was scheduled for June 26.
Homosexuality is legal in Turkey, although gay people face widespread harassment and discrimination.
The election of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2014 has seen the country take a reactionary shift: On Fridays, fans at a Radiohead listening party were attacked by hooligans armed with sticks and bottles.
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