Turkey's Erdogan denounces LGBT youth as police arrest students
Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised the youth wing of his ruling AK Party for carrying the "glorious history of this nation" and not being "LGBT youth".
On Saturday four students were arrested in Istanbul over a piece of artwork that reportedly combined LGBT symbols with an image of an Islamic site.
There were more protests at Bogazici University after Mr Erdogan's speech.
A total of 159 people were detained - although many were later released.
Homosexuality is legal in Turkey but official opposition to the LGBT community has grown in recent years. The Istanbul Pride march was banned for five years in a row up to 2019. Covid-19 prevented any attempt to hold it in 2020.
Public opinion is generally conservative and the LGBT community has reported widespread discrimination and harassment.
What did Erdogan say?
In a video broadcast to members of his conservative AK Party on Monday, the Turkish president said: "We will carry our young people to the future, not as the LGBT youth, but as the youth that existed in our nation's glorious past.
"You are not the LGBT youth, not the youth who commit acts of vandalism. On the contrary, you are the ones who repair broken hearts."
image copyrightReutersIn a speech in July last year, Mr Erdogan accused LGBT activists of undermining "our national and spiritual values" and "poisoning" young people.
His latest statement follows weeks of protests at Bogazici University over the appointment of Prof Melih Bulu as rector. Activists say he has close links to AK, an Islamist-rooted party.
On Friday, protesters hung an artwork opposite the new rector's office depicting the Kaaba in Mecca, one of Islam's holiest sites, and images of the LGBT rainbow flag.
The students arrested on Saturday were accused of "inciting hatred", and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu branded the four suspects "LGBT deviants".
The comment drew angry comments from some on social media, who referred to it as hate speech. But conservative and pro-government users condemned the students.
What happened after the speech?
A group of activists held a fresh protest at Bogazici University late on Monday to demand the release of the four students and the resignation of the rector.
Riot police entered the campus and dragged demonstrators away. On Tuesday Istanbul's governor said that 98 of the 159 people arrested had been released.
image copyrightReutersDuring the operation at Bogazici the officers ended live broadcasts being streamed by protester on social media.
Students told the BBC's Turkish service that officers had warned them that "if you shout a slogan, we will detain you all".
Meanwhile, social media posts show police in the western city of Izmir scuffling with a group of rainbow flag-waving protesters expressing support for the Bogazici students.
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