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Turkish police fired tear gas to disperse revellers at a banned gay Pride parade in central Istanbul on Saturday.
Police in riot gear pushed and dragged people who had been gathering to take part in the LGBTQ2 event in a side street off the city’s central Istiklal Avenue.
Some people were dressed up, others waived rainbow flags. Some 20 people, including a photo journalist, were detained, according to media reports.
Turkish authorities have repeatedly banned Pride events in recent years. Before then, thousands of people used to take part in the parade in the streets of Istanbul.
This year local authorities said they had banned the parade due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Turkey has long been a candidate to join the European Union but its accession process has been languishing for years as tensions flare over a variety of issues including human rights.
On Thursday, a majority of European Union leaders vowed to continue combating discrimination of the LGBTQ2 community in a joint letter amid a standoff with Hungary, whose parliament last week approved a bill that bans the distribution of material in schools deemed to promote homosexuality or gender change.
Turkish police fire tear gas to break up banned Istanbul Pride march
The Free 