Gay and transgender pride march banned in Istanbul for the second year

The governor of Istanbul on Saturday banned a gay and transgender pride march for the second year running citing security concerns after threats from an ultra-nationalist group.

The LGBT march which was due to take place in the city on Sunday, was described in the past as the biggest in the Muslim world.

The governor’s office said it took the decision out of concern for the security of marchers, tourists and residents after the ultra-nationalist Alperen Hearths group, last week threatened to prevent the march if authorities did not act.

Organisers of the march said the ban was effectively legitimising what they called the hate crimes of groups like Alperen Hearths, and urged the governor to reverse the decision.

The governor’s emphasis on public order and safety was an efffort to distort the image of a planned peaceful march, they said in an online statement headlined: We are Marching, Get Used to It. We are Here, Not Going Away.

Istanbul is a city seen as a relative safe haven by members of the gay community from elsewhere in the Middle East, including refugees from Syria and Iraq and have hosted the event peacefully in the past.

In 2015, police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse participants, after organisers said they had been refused permission because it coincided with the holy month of Ramadan.

Homosexuality is not a crime in Turkey unlike many other Muslim countries, but homophobia remains widespread.