Turkish Police Carry Out Mass Arrests as Istanbul Pride Parade Is Shut Down

Latest Developments

• Turkish Police Arrest Pride Marchers: At least 50 people were arrested in Turkey for attempting to take part in an LGBTQ+ Pride parade on June 29. Footage of the event shows police clashing with activists before arresting and placing them in police vans. Among those arrested were six lawyers and at least three journalists.
• Growing Hostility Toward LGBTQ+ Community: While homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey, the Turkish government has become increasingly hostile toward LGBTQ+ citizens under Islamist President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development (AKP) Party. Istanbul’s Pride parade — the first in the Muslim world, which once drew tens of thousands of attendees — has been banned since 2015, with activists facing harsh police crackdowns every year since.
• Erdogan Labels Community a Threat: Erdogan has recently ramped up his rhetoric against Turkey’s gay community. In declaring 2025 to be the “Year of the Family,” Erdogan stated that the “primary goal of the gender neutralization policies, in which LGBT is used as a battering ram, is the family and the sanctity of the family institution.” Israel continues to host the only legal Pride parade in the region, which this year was canceled due to the threat of missiles launched by Iran.

FDD Expert Response

“Erdogan continues to advance his authoritarian playbook. Arrests in Turkey of members of the LBGTQ+ community follow his efforts to gut political opposition and jail those who disagree with his agenda. As Erdogan’s political coalition continues to shrink, his efforts to impose a more Islamist social contract grow. This remains in competition with any hopes of regional integration or further cooperation with Europe.” — Tyler Stapleton, Director of Government Relations at FDD Action

“Turkey still entertains expectations of joining the European Union despite the fact that its woeful record on human rights will continue to prevent it from doing so. The principles guiding its repression of the LGBTQ+ communities are drawn not from liberal democracy but from the ruling regime’s affinity with the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist movement that promotes antisemitism, homophobia, and the subjugation of women.” — Ben Cohen, Senior Analyst and Rapid Response Director

FDD Background and Analysis

“The U.S. Should Not Sell Weapons to Turkey,” by Sinan Ciddi and Jonathan Schanzer

“‘Attack on Democracy’: Germany Blocks Eurofighter Sale to Turkey for Imprisoning Opposition Leader,” FDD Flash Brief

“10 Things to Know About the Muslim Brotherhood,” by Ben Cohen and Ahmad Sharawi

“‘Destroy and Devastate Zionist Israel’: Turkish President Prays for Jewish State’s Destruction Amid Mass Protests,” FDD Flash Brief

“‘We’re Free People’: Protests Erupt in Turkey Over Arrest of Main Rival to Erdogan,” FDD Flash Brief