Turkish police detained at least 30 people in central Istanbul on Sunday as they tried to take part in a Pride March, which authorities had banned as part of a years-long clampdown on LGBTQ+ events, an opposition politician said. <\/p>\n
Footage obtained by Reuters showed police scuffling with a group of activists holding rainbow flags in the city center before rounding them up and loading them into police vans. <\/p>\n
Kezban Konukcu, a lawmaker from the pro-Kurdish DEM Party who attended the march, told Reuters that at least 30 people had been taken into custody. <\/p>\n
Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. <\/p>\n
The Istanbul governor\u2019s office had earlier deemed the march unlawful and said groups promoting the event were operating \u201cillegally.\u201d <\/p>\n
Authorities have banned Pride marches in Turkey\u2019s largest city since 2015, citing public safety and security concerns. <\/p>\n
President Tayyip Erdogan\u2019s Islamist-rooted AK Party has adopted increasingly harsh rhetoric against the LGBTQ+ community over the past decade. <\/p>\n
In January, Erdogan declared 2025 the \u201cYear of the Family,\u201d describing Turkey\u2019s declining birth rate as an existential threat and accusing the LGBTQ+ movement of undermining traditional values. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe primary goal of the gender neutralization policies, in which LGBT is used as a battering ram, is the family and the sanctity of the family institution,\u201d Erdogan said in January. <\/p>\n
Rights groups have condemned Turkey\u2019s stance. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have warned that government rhetoric and actions are fueling a hostile environment for LGBTQ+ people, contributing to rising discrimination and violence. <\/p>\n
Despite the bans, small groups of activists continue to mark Pride Week each year. Organizers say the increasingly aggressive police response reflects broader crackdowns on dissent and freedom of assembly in Turkey. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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