Reuters reporters saw police pepper spray activists and drag them to the ground before handcuffing them
Turkish police today used tear gas and pepper spray to stop an LGBTQI+ Pride march in ‘Anchormaking at least 36 arrests after authorities banned such marches in cities across the country for security reasons.
Reuters reporters saw police pepper spray activists and drag them to the ground before handcuffing them and putting them into police buses. THE UniKuiran Ankara-based LGBTI+ activist organization, said at least 36 people were arrested.
Last week in Istanbul, police broke up a larger annual Pride march and detained more than 300 people.
Thousands of people used to attend the annual Pride marches on Istiklal Avenue, the main boulevard of Istanbulbut in recent years the government under the president Tayyip Erdogan and the Islamist-leaning Justice and Development Party (AKP) has hardened its stance on gay rights.
Homosexuality is not a crime in Turkeybut hostility toward it is widespread, and the police crackdown on Pride parades has grown increasingly harsh over the years.
RES-EMP
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