Government Bans Instanbul Pride, Citing Security Concerns

Some 100,000 people attended Istanbul Pride in 2014.
From: NewNowNext

 Government officials have banned Instanbul Pride, set for June 26, citing concern for safety and public order.

It does not appear the order is connected to the mass shooting in Orlando, though, as Pride was banned in the city last year, as well. The announcement from the Istanbul governor’s office comes after nationalists declared they would not allow “degenerates” to march in the streets.

 “Dear state officials, do not make us deal with these. Either you do what is needed or we will do it,” Kursat Mican of the fundamentalist Great Union Party, told reporters.

With the order in place, anyone taking part in a procession risks  arrest.

 Instanbul Pride was first held in 2003 and grew into the largest LGBT celebration in the Muslim world, with some 100,000 people attending in 2014.

 But in 2015, the parade was banned just hours before the event, with police forces using water cannons and tear gas on participants.

 On Facebook, organizers claim the ban is a “flagrant violation of the constitution and the law” and blamed the government for failing to protect their rights.

Unlike other predominantly Muslim countries, homosexuality is legal in Turkey, though gays and lesbians routinely face prejudice and harassment.