14/09/2023 | Writer: Gözde Demirbilek
Activists from Colours of Resistance İzmir, who gathered in order to protest against Radio Television Supreme Council’s announcement that hate rallies, planned to be held in September, would be broadcast as a public service announcement, were detained under torture.
Colours of Resistance İzmir had made a call for a demonstration in front of the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) in Pasaport at 17.00 yesterday in order to protest against the broadcasting of the video calling for hate rallies called “Great Family March”, which targets the right to exist and life of LGBTI+s, on some national channels as a public service announcement.
10 people, including 5 activists from Colours of Resistance İzmir, were detained under torture as soon as they got off the ferry, at the time of the protest, even before they could go to RTÜK building.
Selman, Colours of Resistance activist, told KaosGL.org about the physical violence used by the police against LGBTI+s to legitimise the hate rally:
“We took the ferry as activists of Colours of Resistance İzmir to go to the RTÜK building in accordance with the call we had made today. As soon as we got off the ferry, the police intercepted us and told us that there was a ban order issued by the Governorship with regard to our protest. When we said that there cannot be such a ban, we were we were detained under torture by the police. We are currently being held in the detention van.”
RTÜK approved the hatred!
At its meeting on September 6th, RTÜK announced that they had approved the broadcasting of a video calling for a hate rally, which is planned to be held on September 17th, as a public service announcement. A similar video calling was broadcast as a public service announcement before the hate rallies last year as well and Kaos GL Association had filed a lawsuit against RTÜK on the grounds of broadcasting the hate rally as a public service ad.
Translation: Selma Koçak
Tags: human rights
