Shortly after midday on Wednesday, September 23, protesters gathered in Dublin in solidarity with the Turkish LGBTQ+ community. The demonstration was organised by Labour LGBTQ+ in response to recent raids against queer venues, organisations and private homes in cities like Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Aydın and Mersin.
Participants, which included politicians and representatives of non-profit and community organisations, met outside the Embassy of Türkiye in Ballsbridge at 12:45pm. They waved rainbow flags and demanded action from the Irish government.
The protest comes after Turkish police carried out raids against the local LGBTQ+ community across 12 provinces on Sunday, September 13. They arrested dozens at the time, with many more detained two days later during a demonstration outside an Istanbul courthouse. The country’s Justice Minister Akın Gürlek, who orchestrated the crackdown under the ‘My Family Is Safe’ campaign, has since confirmed that 162 people, 13 businesses and nine associations are currently being investigated.
Speaking about the recent events, Labour LGBTQ+ Co-Chair Joshua Ellul said, “The Turkish government has unfairly used the LGBTQ+ community as a target and a scapegoat for more than ten years.
“We are calling on the Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee and the Irish government to use their collective voices to condemn Türkiye’s actions in the European Parliament. Ireland must stand up for the human rights of all people. Ireland currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, and they have made human rights a key priority for their Presidency.
“Türkiye is an EU candidate country and a member of the Council of Europe, and as such they are bound by the European Convention on Human Rights,” Ellul concluded.
Labour Leader Ivana Bacik also expressed her solidarity with the Turkish LGBTQ+ community, urging the Irish government to condemn the raids and arrests.
“People in Türkiye have watched in horror as police have entered LGBTQ+ spaces and the homes of activists,” she said. “These raids are frightening for those directly affected, and they send a warning to every LGBTQ+ person who wants to live openly. Ireland must speak out clearly against them.”
Bacik continued by saying that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government has “spent years restricting LGBTQ+ people’s ability to gather and organise,” noting that Istanbul Pride has faced bans since 2015.
“The latest raids deepen an already grave threat to people’s freedom and safety,” she added.
“Our message from Dublin is that LGBTQ+ people in Türkiye have the right to live without fear, to organise and to protest peacefully. The Irish Government must condemn these raids.”
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The protest in Dublin is one of many demonstrations happening across the world in solidarity with the Turkish LGBTQ+ community, including in London, Washington, Athens and beyond.
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