Turkey Detains 150+ LGBTQ Protesters as Police Raid Bars and Homes Nationwide
Turkish authorities have launched a sweeping crackdown on LGBTQ communities, detaining more than 150 protesters in Istanbul and arresting at least 60 people in raids on gay bars and activists' homes.
Turkish police detained at least 150 pro-LGBTQ protesters in Istanbul on Tuesday, 15 September, as demonstrators took to the streets against a nationwide crackdown on the LGBTQ community [242080].
The protests followed a wave of raids on Sunday in which police arrested at least 60 people at gay bars and the homes of LGBTQ activists across the country [240844][241470]. Authorities said the operations were part of the "Decade of the Family," a program announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that aims to "protect our children, the institution of the family and social order" [240833]. Officials described the raids as meant to protect traditional family values [241470].
Rights groups and opposition parties condemned the arrests, and the European Union parliament's rapporteur on Turkey also criticized the raids [240844]. The European Union has expressed concern over the crackdown [241470].
The detentions mark an escalation in pressure on the LGBTQ community in Turkey, where activists say they face growing restrictions under the current government.