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Turkish police use tear gas to break up transgender rally

Xinhua, June 20, 2016 Adjust font size:

Turkish police on Sunday fired tear gas and rubber bullets to break up a transgender rally in Istanbul.

Around 1,000 people gathered in Istanbul's bustling Istiklal Avenue to stage their annual rally of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) toward the nearby Taksim Square.

The rally, however, went against a ban released by the governor of Istanbul on Friday, forbidding the "pride parades" of LGBTI group on June 19 and June 26.

The riot police cordoned off Taksim square and mobilized armed vehicles and water cannons to block all roads to it.

Some members of parliament from the opposition parties also attended the rally and suffered from the tear gas, said Emre Demir, a volunteer.

During the rally, police also detained 15 ultra-nationalists who intended to break up the march when they beat up two people from the LGBTI group.

Islamist and ultra-nationalist groups had threatened the LGBTI groups to stop the rally during the Ramadan, the holly month for Muslims.

Turkish LGBTI groups have been organizing pride marches on Istiklal Avenue annually since 2003 demanding equality, freedom and legal status.

Since anti-government protests erupted in 2013 against a development program on Gezi Park near Taksim Square, the Turkish authorities have forbidden LBTGI rallies. Endit