Another anti-LGBTI+ ‘hate march’ held in Turkish capital Ankara

Nur Kaplan / DUVAR

The second Anti-LGBTI+ “hate” rally and march called was held in capital Ankara Oct. 30, per a call by the Civil Society Platform.

The group gathered for targeting LGBTI+ groups and Istanbul Convention, hold banners that read “No to the imposition of deviance," and "Family is the cornerstone of the society," and chanted slogans such as “No to perverted global movements”, “Say stop to heresy” and “Let's protect the family together" in Turkish.

The group also chanted "Takbir, Allah-u Ekber" (Allah is the greatest). The group closed Anafartalar Street to traffic for about 2 hours.

Head of Ankara Civil Society Platform, Mustafa Kır, targeted the Istanbul Convention and claimed that the contract corrupted the family structure. 

Kır said, “The purpose of the Istanbul Convention was portrayed as being signed to protect violence and rape against women. Actually, it is a dangerous global project aimed at empowering LGBTI, disrupting the ancient family structure, and drying up our generations. Gender equality is a betrayal project. We need to hold the hands of our brothers and sisters who are involved in the perversion and bring them back to normal life.”

The first Anti-LGBTI+ “hate” rally and march was previously held in Istanbul’s Fatih district on Sept. 18. The media wathcdog Radio and Television High Council (RTÜK) labeled the march’s promotion video as “public service announcement” 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signed a presidential decree on March 20, 2021, quitting the Istanbul Convention aimed at protecting women from violence. On July 1, 2021, the country formally left the convention, triggering massive protests and anger from women’s rights groups, who believed the agreement was essential.

Turkey, the first country to ratify the treaty in 2011, suffers from high rates of femicide, and violence against women is rife.

(English version by Alperen Şen)