Footage obtained by Reuters shows police officers stopping activists and forcefully loading them into police vans. Among those arrested were both Pride participants and supporters showing solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.

According to the governor of Istanbul, the march was “illegal” and the organising groups were operating “unlawfully”. Pride marches have been systematically banned in Istanbul since 2015, under the pretext of public order and safety. Human rights organisations, however, strongly question that justification.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his conservative Islamic AK Party have taken a hard stance against LGBTQ+ rights for years. In January, Erdoğan declared 2025 the “Year of the Family”, calling Turkey’s declining birth rate an existential threat. In this context, he described LGBTQ+ policies as an attack on the traditional family structure.

Despite the repressive climate, small groups of activists continue to speak out during the annual Pride Week. Organisers state that the increasingly harsh police crackdowns are part of a broader suppression of freedom of expression and the right to protest in Turkey.