BY NATASHA BARSOTTI – Turkey’s Hürriyet Daily News reports that members of an ultra-nationalist group tried to attack a trans Pride march in Istanbul’s Taksim Square June 24 but were thwarted by police before anyone suffered serious injury. 
The report says members of the youth wing of the Islamist Great Unity Party threw stones and bottles at march participants who were waving rainbow flags. The youth wing, known as Alperen Ocaklari, had gathered in the same square to remember fallen Turkish soldiers and chanted “the only flag allowed here is the Turkish flag, not that piece of fabric.” Gay Star News quotes trans activist Kemal Ordek as saying police immediately positioned themselves between the two groups and stopped the attack.
The trans march, the third to be held in the city, proceeded once tensions de-escalated. In an interview with the Daily News, one march participant, who requested anonymity, said the march throws a spotlight on hate murders in Turkey.
Landing image source: media.townhall.com
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