Istanbul Governor's Office bans Trans Pride march but organizers defiant

The authorities on July 1 banned transsexual rights activists from holding a planned march in Istanbul this weekend, a week after police used rubber bullets and tear gas to thwart the LGBT Pride parade, which was banned for a third year in a row.  

Organizers, however, vowed to press ahead with the Trans Pride March, planned for the afternoon of July 1, despite the ban.

The Istanbul Governor's Office said in a statement that the march could not take place because the venue for the event, around the central Taksim Square, was "not suitable" and because the office had not received a proper application for permission to hold the march.

"After an evaluation ... it has been decided not to give permission for the holding of this event," it stated, also urging citizens to ignore calls to participate in the parade and abide by the security forces' warning.

After the announcement, the organizers wrote on their Facebook page that "we don't recognize bans ... we will be at Taksim tomorrow for the Trans Pride."   

If held, the Trans Pride march would have been the eighth edition of the event, which promotes rights for transsexuals in the country, but it has suffered crackdowns in recent years.

Similarly, the LGBT Pride March had been held annually in Istanbul and was routinely attended by thousands of people before a brutal police crackdown in 2015.

On June 25, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas and detained a number of people who were attempting to stage the LGBT Pride March.

Witnesses said there was a heavy police presence that outnumbered the activists.

In 2016, organizers were denied permission to march amid a series of bombings blamed on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and...