LGBT

Turkish police use force to break up Istanbul Pride parade

by Craig Takeuchi on June 29th, 2015 at 10:36 AM
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      As Pride festivities in Toronto, Chicago, and New York City celebrated LGBT communities and rights advancement in North America in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, the struggle for LGBT acceptance continued on around the world.

      This was particularly apparent this weekend in Turkey, where police used a variety of forceful means to break up a Pride parade in Istanbul on June 28.

      Police employed water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets in Taksim Square, the city's central square, where about 100 to 200 demonstrators had gathered with rainbow flags, signs, and colourful outfits.

      Organizers had been refused permission to march because the rally date fell within the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

      Footage of the police crackdown below shows the police dispersing the crowd.

      This video below shows police using water cannons and aiming guns at demonstrators.

      This video posted on Twitter captures a demonstrator being violently knocked to the ground by a water cannon.

      Even American pop star Lady Gaga tweeted her criticism.

      Despite the fact that homosexuality has been legal in the country since 1858—far ahead of other Western countries and in contrast to most Muslim countries—homophobia remains prevalent.

      Comments

      2 Comments

      Meatballs

      Jun 29, 2015 at 11:47am

      What is not mentioned in this article is that Turkey doesn't allow ANY public gatherings or protests in Taksim Square even since the unrest and violent protests there in 2012. It's not something against LGBT as this story is being depicted.

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      Seriously?!?

      Jun 29, 2015 at 1:26pm

      Imperialism marches on behind the Pride Flag. The entire concept of "human rights" as portrayed in western media is Eurocentric and absolutely not universalizable. Demanding the world kowtow to a concept heavily reliant upon the thinking of dead white European males is absurd and yet it is a feature of our activist class and our political ideologies: there is always an excuse to intervene.

      FYI Taksim square is closed and demonstrations are restricted no matter the issue, cause or brouhaha. The organizers knew what was coming and we're happy to be victims knowing they would get overwhelming if meaningless support from arts of the world that value LGBT people as open members of society. I will happily support the rights of all in Canada as protected by our Charter, especially those with whom I disagree, but those who believe such rights should be universal and demand compliance are just the latest group of westerners determined to "fix the savages."

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