Activists unfurl rainbow flag on Galata Tower after İstanbul Pride Parade

Photo: İstanbul LGBTI+ Pride Week

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As part of İstanbul Pride Week, activists managed to hang a rainbow flag on the iconic Galata Tower in the city's heart late yesterday evening (June 25).

This act of advocacy took place following the 21st İstanbul Pride Parade, during which at least 93 individuals were apprehended. The activists who carried out the flag display reportedly encountered violence from security forces.

Earlier that day, despite bans and a strong police presence, LGBTI+ activists gathered in İstanbul's Şişli district. The traditional march location in Taksim was inaccessible due to police barricades and closed metro stations.

However, in a seeming impromptu move, activists gathered approximately a kilometer away from Taksim, in Mıstık Park, unfurling a large rainbow flag on the facade of a multi-story parking lot facing the park. They voiced their frustration with state-sanctioned persecution and managed to march a short distance while chanting slogans before the police arrived and started detaining people.

(TY/WM)