DistantNews
Support us
Police detain dozens at Istanbul Pride March despite ban
🇹🇷 Turkey /Crime & Justice

Police detain dozens at Istanbul Pride March despite ban

From Cumhuriyet · () Turkish

Translated from Turkish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Police intervened in Istanbul's Pride March, detaining at least 40 LGBTQ+ individuals despite official bans.
  • District governorates in Kadıköy and Beyoğlu prohibited public gatherings, citing public order concerns.
  • LGBTQ+ activists asserted their right to public space and vowed to continue their struggle for equality and freedom.

Police detained at least 40 LGBTQ+ individuals in Istanbul on Sunday as they attempted to hold the 24th Istanbul Pride March, defying bans issued by the district governorates of Kadıköy and Beyoğlu. The authorities cited the need to protect public order and social peace as reasons for prohibiting all public gatherings and demonstrations.

We are not strangers to this city; we are part of these streets, these squares, this life. Public space belongs to all of us.

— LGBTQ+ activistsIn a statement released by activists explaining their defiance of the ban and their continued presence in public spaces.

Despite the restrictions, which included transportation limitations around Taksim and a ban on events in Kadıköy from June 27 to June 28, 2026, activists gathered in various locations in Kadıköy. The governorates had declared that all open spaces, streets, and squares within the districts were off-limits for such activities.

The more you increase oppression, the more we grow solidarity; the more you impose bans, the more we open new paths.

— LGBTQ+ activistsIn a statement outlining their strategy for continuing their struggle despite government restrictions.

In response, LGBTQ+ activists released a statement emphasizing their inalienable right to public space and their determination to continue their struggle for equality. "We are not strangers to this city; we are part of these streets, these squares, this life," the statement read. "Public space belongs to all of us." They vowed to overcome the barriers and bans, stating, "The more you increase oppression, the more we grow solidarity; the more you impose bans, the more we open new paths."

We are open, we are visible. We are not hidden; we are organized, we are together.

— LGBTQ+ activistsIn a statement asserting their identity and collective strength in the face of official opposition.

The activists asserted that they would not be silenced by repression and that their lives could not be dictated by "judgment packages, arbitrary bans, and hate policies." They declared their visibility and organization, stating, "We are open, we are visible. We are not hidden; we are organized, we are together." The statement concluded with a commitment to building a society where all citizens can live equally and freely, with LGBTQ+ individuals at the forefront of the freedom struggle.

We will not allow you to declare our LGBT+ flags, our identities, and our existences as crimes.

— LGBTQ+ activistsIn a statement rejecting the government's attempts to criminalize their identity and expression.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Cumhuriyet in Turkish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog