Turkish police fired tear gas at demonstrators in Izmir on Monday during a protest against the growing targeting of LGBTQ activists, France 24 reported, citing an AFP photographer. About 200 people attended the rally in the western Turkish city, where protesters objected to a nationwide crackdown that had led to dozens of arrests the previous day.
The demonstrators chanted slogans including “You will never walk alone” and condemned the government’s justification for the raids. Police detained two protesters, including a lawyer, according to the AFP journalist cited by France 24.
Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said the raids were part of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “Decade of the Family” initiative. Gurlek said the campaign was intended to protect children, the family and social order, and later wrote on X that authorities were acting against exploitation, obscenity, crime and harmful content.
Organisers of the Izmir protest rejected that explanation. In a statement quoted by France 24, they said protecting families did not require early-morning home arrests, searches of associations, the criminalisation of human rights defenders or investigations into the identities and existence of LGBTQ people.
The European Union expressed concern about the arrests and legal proceedings involving LGBTQ activists, human rights associations and businesses. Christian Wigand, a European Commission spokesman, urged Ankara to ensure respect for human rights.
The crackdown also coincided with restrictions on social-media accounts. The Freedom of Expression Association said accounts belonging to several rights groups and media organisations, including Amnesty International Turkey, Evrensel and the Media and Law Studies Association, were blocked after requests from Turkish authorities. It also said X had blocked accounts linked to more than a dozen Turkish LGBTQ and rights organisations. France 24 reported that Kaos GL’s offices were searched and its executives detained, while prosecutors accused the group of publishing content they considered obscene and accessible to children.