Nearly 400 people were arrested on Sunday, June 26, in Istanbul during the LGBTQ+ Pride March, before being released, the organizers of the event and an association for the defense of LGBTQ+ rights said on Monday.
"373 people were arrested. All (...) had been released on the morning of June 27," said the Turkish association for the defense of sexual minorities Kaos GL.
As every year since 2015, the event had been banned by the governor of the city.
Hundreds of demonstrators waving rainbow flags nevertheless gathered in the streets adjacent to Taksim Square in central Istanbul, which is completely closed to the public.
Riot police mobilized
Chanting "The future is queer!", "You will never be alone!"
or "We are here, we are queer, we will not go anywhere else!", the demonstrators marched for a little over an hour in the streets of the Cihangir district, supported by residents posted at the windows.
Even before the start of the rally, the riot police had raided the cafes and streets of this district, arresting those who were there, noted an AFP team.
Some, including an AFP photographer, began to be released shortly before 11 p.m. (8 p.m. GMT), about six hours after their arrest.
Like every year, the #MarcheDesFiertés had been officially banned by the governor of the city but hundreds of demonstrators waving rainbow flags gathered in the streets adjacent to Taksim Square, completely closed to the public #AFP pic. twitter.com/ExcRaVJP0Q
— Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) June 26, 2022
With AFP
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