Erdogan’s Turkey Cracks Down on Gay Rights, HIV Support Groups
This is not the first time Muslim-majority Turkey is at loggerheads with the gay community.
Dozens of people have been detained, and over 160 are under investigation in Turkey as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s regime launches a crackdown on gay rights and HIV support groups. The campaign began in recent weeks, with Turkish authorities raiding gay bars, organizations and private homes.
The Associated Press reports:
On Sunday, Turkish authorities cracked down on multiple LGBTQ+ groups and individuals, detaining dozens of members, breaking into association offices and raiding popular hangouts. The organizations’ websites were also blocked.
The crackdown aimed to “protect children, the institution of the family, and public order,” Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said. He said the operation, dubbed “My Family is Safe,” targeted 162 suspects, nine associations and 13 businesses. (…)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party, which has roots in Turkey’s Islamic movement, has been increasingly vocal against LGBTQ+ groups in a bid to consolidate the more conservative elements of its base. In 2015, it banned Istanbul Pride, which had tens of thousands of attendees in previous years. Since then, authorities have violently dispersed any attempted gatherings for Pride.
The clampdown continued on Tuesday as police arrested protesters. “Turkish authorities detained at least 150 people on Tuesday after police intervened at a gathering outside Istanbul’s Caglayan courthouse, where demonstrators had planned to protest about recent detentions targeting LGBTQ+ groups,” Reuters reported, quoting eyewitnesses. “The detentions marked the latest escalation in what rights groups and opposition figures have described as a widening campaign against the LGBTQ+ community, with authorities over the past week raiding association offices, blocking websites and jailing suspects across multiple provinces.”
This is not the first time Muslim-majority Turkey is at loggerheads with the gay community. In 2025, gay and Muslim activists clashed with each other on board the Turkish-sponsored Gaza flotilla. In July, Turkey blocked a U.S. cruise ship carrying 2,000 gay passengers, citing Muslim “moral values.”
The gullible EU, which has been considering Turkey’s membership bid, voiced “concern” over the crackdown, the French newspaper Le Monde reported on Monday:
The EU expressed concern on Monday, September 14, about police raids targeting Turkey’s LGBTQ+ community in which at least 60 people were arrested, urging Ankara to ensure respect for human rights.
As a candidate to join the European Union, Turkey “should promote and ensure respect for the human rights and dignity of all individuals, irrespective of their gender identity or sexual orientation,” [EU Commission spokesman Christian] Wigand said. “Stigmatization and discrimination are contrary to the values of the Union.”
Throughout his 23-year rule, Erdogan has been driving Turkey toward the Sharia rule that actively suppresses gays, atheists, and political dissidents. Erdogan’s Turkey, a NATO member and a prospective European Union member state, sees Europe and the West as a civilizational adversary. President Erdogan openly dreams of supplanting a nominally Christian Europe with a fervently Islamic one. “I am calling out to my citizens, my brothers and sisters in Europe,” he said at a 2017 rally. “Have not just three but five children.”
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
Gays for Palestine
Chickens for KFC… 🙂
Exactly just look the other way, “anti-zionist” gay activists. As long as it not Israel we can hate on then we just don’t care!
Jews for Hamas
Might as well go all in progressives.
I’m sticking with Campbell’s 😍
The clan, or the 3D printed soup?
Erdogan is Muslim Brotherhood.
The vile, stupid, evil, collaborationist and hypocritical American Dhimmi-crats and European dhimmi leftists will excuse Erdogan’s actions, because in their utterly warped and moronic worldview, Muslims are alleged victims who are above reproach and who can do no wrong.
The EU is not “gullible.”
It’s “calculating.”
It regularly calculates advantage for pretending to be gullible.
Nice. I’mma borow that, with attribution of course.
Henry is generally good for one good saying a day and often more.
Let’s not forget that the foot dragging and goal post moving of the EU re Turkish entry into the EU helped put Erdogan and more Islamist party into power in Turkey replacing the much more moderate/western oriented govt which preceded it.
In essence the EU made it plain to Turkey they weren’t gonna gain admission no matter what. That undercut some/much of the basis for the moderate/Western orientation of the ruling gov’t. The average Turk could see the writing on the wall and since much of the reform, moderate positions weren’t doing them any good they stopped trying and voted in Erdogan. It was like Lucy and Charlie Brown with the football, every five years the EU would come up with a reason to deny Turkey admission. The Turkish people decided the EU ‘calvinball’ was a game they couldn’t win so they stopped playing. IMO the EU has nobody to blame for the Islamist government of Turkey and its consequences but themselves.
If Erdogan had a brain he could solve his gay problem by putting all of his on boats and sending them towards gaza assuming Israel would handle them. Then of course refuse to accept when Israel tried to repatriate them back.
Shame the LGBT crowd won have a vacation location
It’s the moral thing to do.
Why is Turkey in NATO and Russia not?
I know a lot more Russians who are aligned with western values thank Turkish people.
It is my prediction that sometime in the future, we will end up aligning ourselves with countries like Russia and most of Eastern Europe against the Muslim problem.
I agree with grizzly
In the near future, we will be aligned with Eastern Europe and Russia against the Muslims
Just call the Turkish Government homophobic, and have the mainstream media along with you on this. The mere thought of it has Democrats and Labour Party bowing in submission.