Turkish Police Raid Gay Bars and Activists' Homes, Arresting at Least 60

Turkish police on Sunday raided gay bars and the homes of LGBTQ activists across the country, arresting at least 60 people, according to officials and activists cited by France 24.

Authorities said the operation was intended to bolster traditional family values, though details of specific charges against those detained were not immediately provided in the report.

Turkey's LGBTQ community has faced repeated targeting by the government in recent years. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has previously described the movement as "deviant" and referred to its members as "perverts," blaming them for the country's falling birth rate, according to France 24.

Yildiz Tar, Editor-in-Chief of KaosGL.org, an LGBTQI rights organization, told France 24's Monte Francis that "the very existence of LGBTQI people is seen as obscene" by authorities carrying out such crackdowns.

Tar's comments point to a broader pattern activists say reflects state-sanctioned hostility toward sexual and gender minorities in Turkey, where LGBTQI rights groups have documented years of restrictions on public gatherings, including bans on Pride marches in major cities.

France 24 did not report additional details on the legal status of those arrested or on any official government statement beyond the stated rationale of promoting family values.