ISTANBUL — Activists for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex rights said they will march for LGBT pride in Istanbul on yesterday, despite a ban by the governor.
Organizers of the 2017 Istanbul LGBTI Pride called for the gathering to begin at 5 p.m. (14:00 GMT) in central Taksim Square, using a Turkish hashtag for "we march."
The Istanbul governor's office on Saturday banned the event — for the third year in a row — citing reasons of safety and public order. The statement also said the governor's office had not received a valid parade application, a claim rejected by organizers.
Police barricades, riot-control vehicles and buses were dispatched to the area yesterday afternoon and a helicopter buzzed overhead.
The governor's ban also cited "serious reactions by different segments of society" as several nationalist and religious groups called for the march's cancellation. But Pride organizers said in a statement yesterday that the threats themselves should be dealt with rather than limiting demonstrations.
"Our security will be provided by protecting the rights of all humans, without discrimination, and protecting social peace. Our security will be provided by recognizing us in the constitution, by securing justice, by equality and freedom," the statement said.
LGBT activists have long lobbied unsuccessfully to have sexual orientation and gender identity covered by Turkish laws protecting civil rights and prohibiting hate speech. Homosexuality has been legal in Turkey since the republic's founding more than nine decades ago.
The Turkish government says there is no discrimination against LGBT individuals and that current laws already protect each citizen. It also insists that perpetrators of hate crimes are prosecuted.
Turkish authorities allowed pride marches to take place for more than a decade since the first one was held in 2003. Up to 100,000 people attended Istanbul Pride in 2014.
But in 2015, police dispersed crowds using tear gas and water cannons after a last-minute ban. In 2016, amid a spate of deadly attacks blamed on the Islamic State group or on outlawed Kurdish militants, the event was banned again but participants still tried to gather.
Police dispersed the crowds in Taksim and prevented a press statement but activists went live on Facebook, reading the statement, from multiple points in the city.
Pride organizers think the celebrations were banned the past two years because they coincided with the holy month of Ramadan and a rise in conservatism. yesterday's march is on the first day of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, marking the end of a month of fasting.
Istanbul Pride march to go on despite governor's ban
FILE - In this Sunday, June 28, 2015 file photo, participants of a Pride Week event in Istanbul, chant slogans after police used a water canon to disperse them. For several years, Pride Week in Istanbul attracted tens of thousands of participants, making it one of largest gatherings celebrating gay, lesbian and transgender rights and diversity in the Muslim world. That changed suddenly in 2015, when authorities, citing security concerns, banned gay and trans-gender pride events chasing away shocked participants trying to converge on central Taksim Square with tear gas and water cannons. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel, File)