Police in Istanbul on Sunday blocked attempts to hold a banned LGBTQ+ Pride demonstration, detaining more than 50 people who tried to march, according to activists and an opposition politician.

Istanbul Pride has been banned annually by Turkish authorities since 2015, including this year.

The governor of Istanbul had earlier banned the LGBTQ+ community from holding a Pride Parade, saying it "undermines social peace, family structure, and moral values."

A strong police presence in key areas of the city prevented large gatherings. Officers were seen clashing with activists holding rainbow flags in the city center.

Crackdown on LGBTQ+ community in Turkey

"The palace regime cannot maintain power by demonizing the LGBTQ community," Kezban Konukcu, a lawmaker from the opposition DEM Party who attended the march, said.

Homosexuality is not a crime in Turkey, but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has adopted an increasingly harsh rhetoric against the LGBTQ+ community over the past decade.

In January, Erdogan declared 2025 the "Year of the Family," describing Turkey's declining birth rate as an existential threat and accusing the LGBTQ+ movement of threatening the traditional family.

"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," he said at the time.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have warned that the government's rhetoric and actions are creating a hostile environment for LGBTQ+ people, leading to increased discrimination and violence.

Edited by: John Silk