The Alperen Ocakları, an offshoot of Turkish nationalist movement the Grey Wolves (Ülkü Ocakları), on Monday announced that they would not allow LGBTI members to hold a pride parade on June 25, CNNTürk reported.
“If the state allows it, we will not. We will not allow them to walk. Wherever they march, we’ll also go. We will close down that street and they will not be able to go there. If we want, our numbers can reach 200,000,” said Kürşat Mican, İstanbul head of Alperen Ocakları during a program on KRT TV.
Speaking on June 19 during a news program aired on KRT TV, Kürşat Mican, who stood trial for threats against LGBTI members ahead of the pride parade last year, has complained that LGBT individuals had “started to organize in every neighborhood … destroying the unity of the family.”
“Their project is to create a structure in every neighborhood. We are warning our intelligence agencies. This is part of a project by capitalist, communist and imperialist powers. By popularizing homosexuality, they want to destroy the unity of family, stop reproduction, end relations between wives and husbands, and prevent children born in such relations from growing up to be propitious to their land and country,” he said.
“This is dynamite to the foundation of the family structure. They have especially started to work on the neighborhood level,” Mircan added. “Under no circumstances will we allow them to march. I call on the Turkish people: These structures are very dangerous. We need to prevent this immorality or it will expand very seriously,” he also said.
LGBT Pride Week is due to take place this year from June 19 to June 25, 2017, consisting of a variety of arts and cultural events including films, health events, and political discussions. The event is due to culminate on June 25 with the Pride March on the popular İstiklal Avenue in Istanbul’s Taksim area.
The march had been conducted in peace in İstanbul for 13 years, but in June 2015 it was prevented by police who fired tear gas and rubber bullets at thousands of people who attempted to gather. It was also banned by the İstanbul Governor’s Office in 2016, citing security concerns and public order. (SCF with turkishminute.com) June 19, 2017
