Governor of İstanbul Rejects Pride March Application

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The Committee for the 27th İstanbul LGBTİ+ Pride Week has held a press conference ahead of the LGBTİ+ Pride Week between June 24 and June 30.

Beren Azizi from the committee said that Deputy Governor of İstanbul Mehmet Ali Özyiğit said them the march cannot be held in Taksim as "it is not a place for marches and demonstrations," in a meeting held upon an application by the committee.

The LGBTİ+ Pride celebrations have traditionally been held in Taksim since 1993 despite bans. The Pride March took place on İstiklal Avenue between 2003 and 2014. All celebrations regarding the week have been banned since 2015.

When the committee said that they want to hold the march on an area that is suitable for marches and demonstrations, they were told that the LGBTİ+ are a group that causes "social concern" regarding all open-air events, Azizi said.

She said that they made an application to hold the celebrations in Bakırköy and added that the events will end with the march on June 30.

"We call the Ministry of Interior particularly, the Governor of İstanbul and all the relevant state and security personnel to remove obstructions against the events we will hold throughout the week, showing respect to universal human rights and democratic culture and abiding by the Constitution and the international conventions."

Azizi also denounced the bans on the Pride Week in the coastal provinces of İzmir and Antalya, saying, "We expect the state to protect our rights, not to be a defender of discrimination with all of its institutions and personnel." (EMK/VK)