Turkish authorities deployed tear gas against demonstrators in the western city of Izmir on Monday, marking a clash as protesters rallied against the increasing targeting of LGBTQ individuals. The gathering followed a wave of nationwide police raids the previous day, during which dozens of people were detained in operations the government described as efforts to uphold traditional family values.
Approximately 200 attendees assembled in Izmir, chanting slogans such as “You will never walk alone” and expressing anger toward the administration’s justification for the arrests. According to an AFP journalist present at the scene, police detained two individuals, including a lawyer, during the dispersal.
The crackdown is part of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “Decade of the Family” initiative. Justice Minister Akin Gurlek stated on Sunday that the operations aim to “protect our children, the institution of the family and social order.” Erdogan has previously characterized the LGBTQ community as a “deviant movement” composed of “perverts,” reflecting the heightened hostility faced by the group despite same-sex relations remaining legal in Turkey.
Organizers of the Izmir demonstration rejected the government’s rationale in a statement, arguing that safeguarding the family does not necessitate early-morning home arrests, raids on associations, or the criminalization of human rights defenders. They emphasized that the actions were making the very existence of LGBTI+ individuals a subject of state investigation.
Internationally, the European Union expressed concern over the arrests and legal proceedings against activists and human rights organizations. Christian Wigand, a spokesman for the European Commission, urged Ankara to respect human rights standards.
In the wake of the raids, several digital platforms blocked accounts linked to rights groups and media outlets within Turkey. The watchdog Ifod reported that X and Instagram restricted accounts belonging to the Evrensel newspaper, Amnesty International Turkey, Academics for Peace, and the Media and Law Studies Association. Additionally, more than a dozen Turkish LGBTQ organizations, including the Kaos GL rights group, were blocked over the weekend. Prosecutors in Ankara have accused Kaos GL of distributing content accessible to children.
Gurlek reaffirmed the government’s stance on Monday via X, writing that the state would show “no tolerance for any criminal organisation targeting the institution of the family, the future of our youth and social order.”
Same-sex relations are legal, so why are people being arrested for existing? The legal contradiction is stark.
Blocking Amnesty and Kaos GL is a clear signal. Turkey is closing spaces for civil society rapidly.
Does anyone else think this will backfire? Protests often grow when repression increases instead of decreases.
The term ‘deviant movement’ is so dehumanizing. It’s not about tradition; it’s about control and fear of diversity.
As a lawyer, seeing one detained during the protest is worrying. Due process matters even in controversial cases.
I’m surprised by the speed of these raids. Did the government plan this before announcing the Decade of the Family?
Interesting that digital platforms are blocking rights groups while the government calls them criminal organizations. Where is the line?
This crackdown is shameful. Turkey claims to be a modern democracy, but these actions tell a different story.
How is protecting the family defined now? Arresting activists and blocking NGOs seems like the opposite of protection.
Tear gas against 200 people is excessive. The EU needs to act, not just send statements of concern.