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Groton Daily Independent
Monday, June 26, 2017 ~ Vol. 24 - No. 347 ~ 30 of 39
Police used tear gas to disperse the crowds and activists said plastic bullets were also used. Riot-control vehicles and buses were dispatched to the area. Turkey’s of cial Anadolu news agency said “an estimated 20 people” were detained after protesters did not heed warnings to disperse because the march did not have a permit.
Among those detained was Associated Press journalist Bram Janssen, who was covering the events. Footage from the scene showed of cers grabbing him by the arms and escorting him to a van. He was released later Sunday.
Pride organizers said 41 people were detained, including 25 activists. Several activists were released late Sunday and lawyers expected others to be released after making statements to the police.
In banning the event, the governor’s of ce on Saturday cited safety and public order. It also said a valid parade application had not been led for Sunday’s event, a claim rejected by organizers.
The governor’s ban referred to “serious reactions by different segments of society” as several nationalist and religious groups called for the march’s cancellation.
Pride organizers said in a statement Sunday that the threats themselves should be dealt with rather than limiting demonstrations. “Our security will be provided by recognizing us in the constitution, by securing justice, by equality and freedom,” the statement said.
The private Dogan news agency reported the detention of seven people who were protesting Pride.
LGBT activists have lobbied for years to have sexual orientation and gender identity covered by Turkish laws protecting civil rights and prohibiting hate speech but the clauses have not been included in updated legislation. Homosexuality has been legal in Turkey since the republic’s founding more than nine decades ago.
The Turkish government says there is no discrimination against LGBT individuals and that current laws already protect each citizen. It also insists that perpetrators of hate crimes are prosecuted.
Turkish authorities allowed pride marches to take place for more than a decade since the rst one was held in 2003. Up to 100,000 people attended Istanbul Pride in 2014.
But in 2015, police dispersed crowds using tear gas and water cannons after a last-minute ban. In 2016, amid a spate of deadly attacks blamed on the Islamic State group or on outlawed Kurdish militants, the event was banned again but participants still tried to gather.
Pride organizers think the celebrations have been banned since 2014 because they coincided with the holy month of Ramadan and a rise in conservatism.
Sunday’s scheduled march was on the rst day of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, marking the end of a month of fasting.
Forest re in Spain threatens renowned national park By JOSEPH WILSON, Associated Press
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A forest re in southern Spain forced the evacuation of at least 1,000 people and threatened a national park famous for its biodiversity and endangered species, authorities said Sunday. The re started on Saturday night on Spain’s southern coast, then advanced east to reach the Donana Nature Reserve, one of the country’s most important wildlife sanctuaries and a UNESCO World Heritage
site since 1994.
“The re has entered in the limits of the reserve, and that is where we are focusing our efforts,” Jose
Gregorio Fiscal Lopez from the regional Andalusian authority in charge of the environment told Spanish national television.
The reserve protects over 107,000 hectares (264,403 acres) considered of extreme ecological value for their mix of ecosystems, including wetlands, dunes and woods. It is a key stop for migratory birds home to a variety of animals, including about a fth of the 400 remaining Iberian lynxes.
Ecologists who work in the park are concerned that the re could wipe out some of the area’s prized species and terrain.
“We are worried because the impact could be huge,” Carlos Molina, an ornithologist who works inside