However Turkey has been hit by a string of attacks this year, including a deadly suicide bombing on Istiklal itself that killed three Israelis and an Iranian and was blamed on jihadists.
Advertisement
According to the Guardian, the decision was made by Turkish authorities after ultra-nationalists threatened to prevent the events from taking place on Turkish soil.
He added: “The LGBT community in Turkey is a little divided about whether people should march or not”.
“We will not allow degenerates to carry out their fantasies on this land, which our ancestors left us by paying a heavy price”.
The order, angrily denounced by the Istanbul pride organizers, means anyone taking part in the June 26 march in the defiance of the authorities risks facing intervention by the security forces.
Turkey’s pride parade organizers said they wanted to gather “after the tragedy in Orlando, to show once again we are united, strong and organized”.
He then quoted a famous Turkish proverb: ‘If you’re not taught by experience, you’re taught by a beating’.
There had already been concerns about the security of the planned marches after last weekend’s massacre at a gay nightclub in Florida of 49 people by a gunman who had expressed sympathy for a variety of Islamist militant groups.
Istanbul Pride is one of the few pride events in the region, and previous year organizers had expected 100,000 people to participate.
While homosexuality is not a crime in Turkey unlike many other Muslim countries, homophobia remains widespread.
A march in support of transgender people was planned for June 19 in central Istanbul, while the annual gay pride parade was scheduled for June 26.
“Such a meeting and demonstration march will not be allowed to take place by our governorate, taking into account the security of our citizens, in particular the participants, as well as the public order”.
Advertisement
Now this year’s march has been banned altogether, with officials claiming they feared for the safety of those participating. Last year, the march was banned and police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowds. “The duty of the state is not to prevent the exercise of rights but to remove any obstacle preventing the exercise of these rights”, it said.
