Turkey: Gay pride parade banned, now posters threaten homosexuals with death
Posters threatening gays with death appeared in the Turkish capital in the wake of a canceled gay pride march and obvious intolerance against homosexuals.
According the AFP report circulated by The Daily Star, a Islamic extremist group has posted warnings across the capital Ankara threatening homosexuals by noting Lot, whose life is storied in the Old Testament and the Koran, linked to the decline of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which was blamed on the sexual preferences of their inhabitants.
The Turkish police prevented Istanbul’s annual gay pride march On June 28 and used water cannon against activists who protested, claiming the event did acquire proper authorization.
“Should those who practice the foul labor and adhere to the practice of the people of Lot be killed?” said the posters that appeared in the Turkish capital overnight.
The Young Islamic Defense claimed responsibility for the poster campaign through a Twitter account @islamimudafaa, saying it was trying to “respond to the immoral actions” of lesbians, gays and bisexuals.
The poster showed an image of a past gay pride march in Istanbul and the group said it was seeking to respond to such events.
Homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey and unlike in many Muslim countries visible communities exist in the bigger cities, including Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.
Many homosexuals still keep their sexuality a secret for fear of a backlash from family or the general public, and remain at risk of unprovoked attacks.