Turkish riot police have detained seven LGBT activists who dared to celebrate Gay Pride Week in Istanbul.<br /><br /> The police rapidly dispersed a group of activists who had gathered near Taksim square in defiance of a ban.<br /><br /> “I have no idea why two persons of our delegation, two young German guys, were captured. They did nothing else than every other body,” said Volker Beck, a Green Party MP from Germany who was with the activists.<br /><br /> On Friday city officials had banned all events around Gay Pride Week which had been held in Turkey every year since 2003.<br /><br /> The authorities said the ban was due to security concerns.<br /><br /> Security in the city is already tight after a series of bombings in recent months blamed on Islamic State and Kurdish militants.<br /><br /> An ultra-nationalist youth group had also threatened violence if the march went ahead, calling it immoral.<br /><br /> But many LGBT activists believed the ban was simply motivated by homophobia and discrimination rather than safety concerns.<br />
