Turkey police hit gay pride parade with water cannons, end up creating a rainbow

The police in Turkey used water cannons and tear gas against gay pride marchers trying to rally in Istanbul’s central square, forcing thousands of demonstrators to gather several blocks away. What was striking though about the Sunday demonstration was, a common method to diffuse a crowd like water cannons turned into “an unwitting symbol of defiance.” The Independent noted the irony at the Sunday’s parade when the water cannons used to disperse the mob at Taksim Square in Turkey made a rainbow at the parade venue.

Two people were injured, according to the Dogan news agency. The extent of their injuries wasn’t immediately known, Associated Press report said. Although a passerby took a photo which showed one of the jets creating a rainbow. [caption id=“attachment_2320192” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “] Image courtesy: Twitter – @saatoldu[/caption] Although Independent could not verify the image. It could very well be Photoshopped but the image has gone viral in Turkey with the image being shared for over 1.5 million times worldwide. “Police reacts with water cannons. Karma reacts with rainbow,” Ozhan Zurel tweeted. According to Associated Press, between 100 and 200 protesters were chased away from Taksim Square as they began gathering late on Sunday afternoon. Police hemmed the demonstrators into a small corner of the square and then fired several jets of water to force them down a side street. Within minutes, the noisy but otherwise peaceful rally restarted a few blocks away and grew to several thousand people as the day wore on. An Associated Press reporter at the scene occasionally smelled tear gas, but there didn’t appear any further attempt by police to interfere with the protest. The protest broke up around nightfall as many headed to local bars to celebrate. While homosexuality is not a crime in Turkey, the pride parade coincides, this year, with the holy month of Ramadan, which Reuters reported is “something that could cause conservative Muslims to bristle.” Organizers said on Twitter they had been denied permission to hold the parade because it coincided with Ramadan this year. The parade has been held in the past and has been described as the biggest gay pride event in the Muslim world. “These people do not hurl stones and they never would. They do not throw petrol bombs. They just ask for a legal recognition,” said one supporter, who gave his name as Bulent. “This summarizes what has been happening in Turkey. Any request for rights is met like this.” The police action drew swift international condemnation on Twitter, including from singer and rights activist Lady Gaga who called on authorities to “set an example for people to celebrate both Ramadan and pride in peace, instead of dividing with violence”. With agency inputs