Turkey police detain dozens at Istanbul Pride after march banned by authorities

Turkish police on Sunday detained at least 50 people, including a journalist, during a Gay Pride event in Istanbul that went ahead despite a ban by local authorities and the lockdown of the city’s main gathering point, organisers said.

Police stepped up security around Istanbul’s famed Taksim Square, erecting iron barriers, while local officials banned demonstrations in key rallying areas, including the Asian-side district of Kadikoy. The governor’s office also restricted subway transport in several central locations.

The Turkish Journalists’ Union said one of those detained was Muberra Unsal, who holds a valid press card.

“Journalists covering the Istanbul Pride March faced unlawful interference again this year. Despite repeatedly identifying herself as a journalist, Unsal was also taken into custody,” the union said on social media.

“My love, today isn’t over yet. In fact, we’re just getting started. We’re not giving up. We’ll keep taking to the streets from every corner we’re in,” the protesters chanted.

The Istanbul Bar Association unfurled a large banner from its building on Istiklal Avenue reading: “LGBT is human rights.”