Turkish riot police water cannon vehicles disperse marchers gathered for the 13th annual Gay Pride Parade in Istanbul on June 28, 2015.(Photo: TOLGA BOZOGLU, EPA)
Istanbul police fired water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets to break up the Turkish capital's gay pride march Sunday.
Organizers said the Istanbul governor had "suddenly banned" the 13th annual parade "using the month of Ramadan as the reason without any announcement." The Istanbul LGBTI Pride Week Committee put the crowd size at tens of thousands.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or arrests.
One video posted on Twitter showed a man waving a rainbow flag being blasted down a cobblestone street in the Taksim Square area.
Police attacked as marchers prepared to walk from Istanbul's central İstiklal Avenue to the Tünel neighborhood around 5 p.m.
"People who believe in a free world but could not make it to Taksim, we invite you to make some noise with pots & pans or what ever you find, where ever you are at 6 pm," the committee said in a
statement.
"WE ARE HERE, GET USED TO IT, WE ARE NOT LEAVING!" it continued. "Love wins!"
After being pushed out of Taksim, some marchers regrouped in neighboring Cihangir -- "conqueror" in Turkish.
A traditional rallying ground for demonstrations, Taksim was racked by weeks of unrest in 2013 over plans to demolish Gezi Park – the only remaining green space in the heart of the city – and build a military-barracks-style shopping mall. That year, 50,000 people marched in the pride parade.
The first such celebration in conservative Turkey was held in 2003. Only 30 people attended.
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