Turkish police attack Pride marchers with water cannons

Istanbul Pride was shrouded in controversy over the weekend, as police attacked parade-goers with water cannons, tear gas and rubber pellets.

But in an ironic twist, photos taken of the upsetting scenes captured a rainbow made as officers fired water at marchers, Gay Star News reports.

Crowds of 100-200 people had gathered in Istanbul’s Taksim Square yesterday (June 28) ahead of the planned march, when they were violently dispersed by police “without any prior warning”, Istanbul’s LGBTI Pride Committee said.

Upsetting video showed one marcher being blasted violently off his feet with a high-pressure water cannon:

Istanbul #Pride2015 marcher waving rainbow flag is blasted off his feet by police water cannon pic.twitter.com/uiPlcZalu8

— David Lepeska (@dlepeska) June 28, 2015

Following the unrest, the marchers regrouped further down the street, where the rally grew and took place without further incident.

The parade has taken place in previous years uninterrupted, and it is not clear why the crowd was targeted, but Taksim Square was the site of widespread political unrest in 2013, and some have speculated that the fact Pride coincided with the Muslim festival of Ramadan may have stirred tensions.

Homosexuality is legal in Turkey, but conservative attitudes, discrimination and homophobia are widespread.

Meanwhile, thousands took to the streets of London on Saturday (June 27) for the capital’s annual Pride parade, where security was stepped up following last week’s terror attacks in Tunisia, France and Kuwait.

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