Just a week after local police interrupted Istanbul Pride with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons—the city’s transgender pride parade has been shut down in a similar fashion.
The 8th annual Transgender Pride March was banned by the Istanbul governor’s office to “preserve public order and keep tourists and participants safe”. However, organisers remained determined to march, Pink News reports.
“We are trans, we are here, get used to it, we are not leaving,” they said in a statement on Facebook.
The organisers of the rally announced they would be marching to Taksim Square, writing online that "all roads lead to Taksim," and using the hashtag #GameOfTrans.
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Istanbul Pride got broken up by police
Police prevented the protest from reaching the square and seven people were arrested. A water canon was reportedly sent to the area, but was not used on the crowd.
The governor’s office maintains that the ban was in place as a safety measure, saying "very serious reactions have been raised by different segments of society," referring to ultra-conservative groups who are in opposition to LGBT+ rights.
It’s the second year in a row that the transgender march has been banned.
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