Footage obtained by Reuters showed police scuffling with a group of activists holding rainbow flags in the city center before rounding them up and loading them into police vans.

Kezban Konukcu, a lawmaker from the pro-Kurdish DEM Party who attended the march, told Reuters that at least people had been taken into custody.

Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Istanbul governor’s office had earlier deemed the march unlawful and said groups promoting the event were operating

Authorities have banned Pride marches in Turkey’s largest city since 2015, citing public safety and security concerns.

President Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted AK Party has adopted increasingly harsh rhetoric against the LGBTQ+ community over the past decade.

In January, Erdogan declared 2025 the describing Turkey’s declining birth rate as an existential threat and accusing the LGBTQ+ movement of undermining traditional values.

Erdogan said in January.

Rights groups have condemned Turkey’s stance. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have warned that government rhetoric and actions are fueling a hostile environment for LGBTQ+ people, contributing to rising discrimination and violence.

Despite the bans, small groups of activists continue to mark Pride Week each year. Organizers say the increasingly aggressive police response reflects broader crackdowns on dissent and freedom of assembly in Turkey.

Source: CNN/Ejiofor Ezeifeoma