Gay groups march to Istanbul pride despite the ban

Homosexual rights activists and activists continued Sunday with the Istanbul Pride parade despite Turkish authorities banning the event for the fourth consecutive year.

About 1000 people gathered near the famous Istiklal Avenue and Taksim Square. Originally, he wanted to hold the parade, reported an AFP photographer at the scene.

Activists deployed a large rainbow flag while a press release was read amidst security in the region. "Hundreds of policemen in the Taksim area to stop the pride of Istanbul, but Pride 's creative and courageous participants avoided the ban and read their press release to" The Government of. Istanbul told the organizers: The officials "could not take steps to ensure their safety and did not consider it appropriate that the Pride March take place," according to a statement of the week LGBT + Pride of Istanbul on Facebook on Friday

The governor's office in Istanbul has not issued any public statements. about the event.

"The governor cited the excuse of security in his decision to ban the march and in a word, it is comical.Our parades were conducted peacefully without being banned for 13 years ", the organizers said in a press release on Facebook a few hours before the march.

"We LGBTI + (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex) All vain attempts to prevent us and we do not recognize this prohibition," they added.

The annual gathering is the most important LGBT event in a Muslim country in the region.

The governorate of Ankara on Thursday banned the movie "Pride" of 2014 organized by the communist LGBT group, claiming that such events could "incite hatred and hostility".

The governor's office added that there could be "danger to public safety". Homosexuals are legal in Turkey, but LGBT people often cite abuse and harassment.

Gay rights activists deploy a demon-proof rainbow flag to the pride of Istanbul.