Turkish police use tear gas at LGBT march

LGBT demonstrators in Istanbul have been fired on with rubber bullets and tear gas by police.

Supporters participate in a LGBT pride parade in Istanbul

LGBT demonstrators in Istanbul has been fired on with rubber bullets and tear gas by police. (AAP)

Turkish police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse demonstrators at a gay pride rally in Istanbul, which was banned by the government.

Dozens of LGBT demonstrators assembled off Istiklal Street on Sunday, some brandishing the community's rainbow flag.

Police called on them to disperse and prevented activists from marching or making statements.

Some were detained.

More than 300 policemen in anti-riot gear and backed by water cannons were deployed along the pedestrian thoroughfare and side streets.

Istanbul's governor has banned gay, lesbian and transgender individuals from holding two annual parades this year citing security concerns.

Istanbul has witnessed a series of deadly bombings in the past year, including two suicide attacks targeting tourists - one on Istiklal Street.

On Friday, Istanbul pride week organisers issued a statement with a LoveWillWin hashtag in Turkish rejecting security concerns as a reason to ban the parades.

It said "the governorship prefers to limit people's rights and freedoms instead of taking measures to deal with the threats".


Share
1 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world