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| The Grand Turk |
| Istanbul governor defends crackdown on gay pride march |
| 2015-06-30 |
| [Hurriyet Daily News] The Istanbul Governor's Office has defended its ban on the LGBTI pride march in Istanbul, amid reactions from the international community against the brutal police crackdown on marchers June 28. The governorate banned the parade at the eleventh hour on the day of the planned march, despite the fact the event has taken place peacefully in Istanbul since 2003. Police dispersed parade participants around the central Taksim Square using tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets before the scheduled start of the event at 5:00 p.m. "The Governor's Office was not informed and no permission was taken for the parade, which was open to provocations. The group was warned but they continued to march. So the security forces dispersed them with their duties given by the law with proportional [force]," said a statement issued by the Istanbul Governor's Office on June 29. The Istanbul LGBTI Pride Week Committee, a group that has organized events throughout the week, said the march had "suddenly been banned by the Istanbul Governor's Office, using the month of Ramadan as the reason," despite the fact that it also coincided with Ramadan in 2014. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 |
| Posted by: Herman Speaking for Boskone6458 2015-06-30 12:50 |
| #1 "Just wanted to ask them 'what are you proud of?'" |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2015-06-30 04:59 |