Lady Gaga, European official slam Turkish gay pride violence

Pop singer Lady Gaga and a European rights official are condemning the attacks on Istanbul's gay pride rally after security forces doused demonstrators with water cannons and tear gas.

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jun 29, 2015, 8:25 AM

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A participant in the Gay Pride event in support of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual (LGBT) rights reacts as others flee after Turkish police use a water canon to disperse them in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, June 28, 2015. Turkish police have used water cannons and tear gas to clear gay pride demonstrators from Istanbul's central square. Between 100 and 200 protestors were chased away from Taksim Square on Sunday after a police vehicle fired several jets of water to disperse the crowd. It wasn't immediately clear why the police intervened to push the peaceful if noisy protest away from the area. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)

ISTANBUL (AP) — Pop singer Lady Gaga and a European rights official are condemning the attacks on Istanbul’s gay pride rally after security forces doused demonstrators with water cannons and tear gas.

Gay rights protesters dispersed Sunday after gathering at the city’s Taksim Square, an unusual flare-up as previous rallies had taken place without interference.

Organizers say the Turkish government only barred them from Taksim at the last minute, saying they could not gather there during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The Istanbul Governor’s office says no permission was sought for the rally and security forces acted proportionally

A message posted to Lady Gaga’s Twitter account urged Turkish authorities to “celebrate both Ramadan and Pride in PEACE.”

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muiznieks, also condemned the violence.