Turkish police raid gay bars and LGBTQ+ homes in ‘family values’ crackdown

Turkish police launched dawn raids on popular hang out spots (Picture: REUTERS)

Turkish police have arrested 162 people in a sweeping crackdown targeting gay bars and LGBTQ+ activists.

Authorities carried out dawn raids in 12 provinces over the weekend as part of a ‘My Family is Safe’ campaign to protect family values.

Officers targeted popular hangouts, current and former members of prominent LGBTQ+ rights groups and blocked their websites.

Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said proceedings had begun against 162 suspects, as well as 9 associations and 13 businesses, relating to various allegations including pornography and producing obscene content.

Turkey’s Human Rights Association said: ‘This is not a judicial investigation; it is a political operation aimed at forcing society into a monolithic family model and purging LGBTI+ and independent civil society under the guise of protecting the family and children.

People run from the police during a June 2026 march in support of transgender people and their rights during the LGBTQ Pride week in Istanbul (Picture AP Photo/Dilara Acikgoz)

‘To include unrelated charges such as ‘forming a criminal organization,’ ‘drugs,’ ‘prostitution’ and ‘obscenity’ serves not to reveal the truth but to incriminate the entire community.’

Police detained 26 people and seized drugs, digital equipment, smuggled alcohol and a firearm, Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office said.

Ankara chief prosecutor’s office said that a further 21 people were arrested as part of an investigation into LGBTQ+ association Kaos GL.

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The LGBT rights group, one of the oldest and largest in Turkey, said at least 50 activists had been detained, including 10 arrested during raids on their homes.

Authorities also blocked access to dozens of websites and social media accounts linked to LGBT organisations and activists, Kaos GL added.

The crackdown was part of the government’s ‘My Family is Safe’ campaign, which is part of President Tayyip Erdogan’s efforts to boost falling birth rates and foster a ‘Decade of Family and Population’.

‘The real name of this operation is not ‘My Family is Safe’; it is state-led discrimination, politics of fear and the ​dismantling of civil society,’ the Turkish Human ⁠Rights Association added on X.

LGBTQ+ groups have accused the government of repressing LGBTQ people (Picture: Hakan Akgun/ dia images via Getty Images)

Nacho Sanchez Amor, the European Parliament’s Turkey rapporteur, sounded the alarm over the ‘shocking escalation’ of repression.

He added: ‘This ​imposition of a moral agenda is a blatant violation of fundamental ​rights and ⁠Turkey’s international commitments taking the country down a dark path.’

Prosecutors have claimed there is evidence that children were being inappropriately influenced on issues relating to sexual orientation and gender identity.

Although same-sex relations are not illegal in the country, homophobia is rife.

The country’s president Edogan has blamed LGBTQ ‘perverts’ for Turkey’s rapidly declining birth rates.

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Roberto De Zerbi reveals what he said to Mathys Tel after blasting Tottenham star at full-time

De Zerbi approached his player immediately after the full-time whistle (Picture: Foxwell/ProSports/Shutterstock)

Roberto De Zerbi felt he had to ‘coach’ Mathys Tel how to play as a striker after he was spotted berating his player after Tottenham’s draw with Everton.

A miserable start to the campaign for Spurs continued on Saturday evening with the Toffees holding them to a goalless draw in north London.

Tottenham are still to win a game this season and failure to score tonight extends their goal drought to over six hours.

It is the first time the club have failed to score in their opening four league matches of the season.

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Dominic Solanke was ineffective up top with Tel brought onto replace him after the hour mark.

The change did little to inspire De Zerbi’s attack who mustered just two shots on goal.

Immediately after the final whistle, the Italian walked onto the pitch straight over to Tel, berating the former Bayern Munich starlet in a tense exchange. Tel stood with his arms on his hips.

De Zerbi was not pleased with Tel’s body shape (Picture: Ashley Western/Shutterstock)

Explaining the incident, De Zerbi said in his post-match press conference: ‘I was coaching him on the pitch. The body shape, he is a striker, the striker will play with his shoulder on the goal (side).

‘If we are playing with Maddison, Kudus and Savinho, he has to play as a striker. And the striker has to look at the goal, no? Or on the cross of Robertson.

‘Because he started as a striker. Now he is playing as a winger but he started his career as a striker. But I love Mathys as a player, as a guy. There is not a problem.’

Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp meanwhile was scathing in his criticism of a ‘diabolical’ performance from the hosts.

Tottenham still haven’t scored a goal this season (Picture: Ashley Western/Shutterstock)

‘After spending £300m, I didn’t think there would be a problem scoring goals,’ Redknapp said on Sky Sports.

‘I thought that they might struggle to win games, a few teething problems, but I thought with the players they’ve got in midfield…surely they have goals in this team.

‘To not score in the Premier League in six hours of football is absolutely diabolical, whatever way you look at it.

‘They defended better today, the centre-backs were better than what they had been. But there was just not enough. How can you not score in six hours of football?

‘They have not got the right balance in the team. ‘There are so many problems to solve in a game just to score a goal.’

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Phil Neville reveals the Chelsea ‘weakness’ which Hull exploited in 2-2 draw

Former Manchester United player Phil Neville (Picture: NBC Sports)

Phil Neville identified the weakness in Chelsea’s set-up which Hull City exploited as they earned a 2-2 draw in the Premier League on Saturday.

Chelsea looked as if they were set to coast to a comfortable victory when Morgan Rogers opened the scoring at Stamford Bridge after only eight minutes.

But newly-promoted Hull turned the game on its head inside eight first-half minutes when Mohamed Belloumi made the most of defensive errors from Jorrel Hato and Emiliano Martinez to score a quickfire double.

Joao Pedro drew Chelsea level after the break, but the Blues were perhaps a tad fortunate to escape with a point as Oli McBurnie and Mohamed-Ali Cho spurned great opportunities for the visitors late on.

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Chelsea have now gone 20 consecutive league games without a clean sheet, their worst run in 65 years, and Neville was keen to praise Hull’s attack in exposing Xabi Alonso’s fragile defence.

‘We felt before the game, Hull were just going to park the bus, but they did not do that,’ he said on NBC Sports.

‘I think what they obviously did, they saw weaknesses in the Chelsea set-up defensively. There was lots of space on that right-hand side, in behind Neto.

Chelsea were held to a draw versus Hull (Picture: Shutterstock)

‘They created chances, they high-pressed, they were hard to beat. I thought it was an outstanding tactical performance from Hull.

‘I thought that was a top coach’s tactical performance. You know, sometimes when you get these teams coming up, they just park the bus.

‘He went man-for-man at times. He was mid-block at times. His defenders are never, ever far away from each other.

‘But I thought what impressed me most today was their attacking play. I thought tactically, attacking-wise, they picked the holes; they found the spaces.

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Xabi Alonso’s side conceding goals for fun… #chelsea #premierleague #hull

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‘I thought they deserved probably more than the point.’

Speaking after the game, Alonso criticised his side’s ‘soft’ defensive display, but said there are no easy fixes for his side’s poor record at the back.

‘It will take time to or it will take moments to fix them when we get the lead and you still need to be competing and not to give the chance so easily for them to come back, especially in the first goal, we can do much better,’ the Spaniard said.

‘It was too soft to give them this hope because until then we were controlling, we were creating chances, but that momentum that we had changed the mood and the score of the game and it’s something that we need to be talking [about], we address and we will get better, but it’s having an impact on our performances at the moment.

‘We need to be aware that from any situation, any team in the Premier League can hurt you. Today it was from a long ball, two bounces, the way it happened.

‘You need to be very aware, very ready that the danger can come from any situation. If you are soft or if you are not prepared, you will get punished and we have been punished that way.’

Chelsea will look to get back to winning ways next Friday when they take on west London rivals Brentford.

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I met him at a wedding abroad – we nearly missed the ceremony having sex

This isn’t the beginning of a Hugh Grant rom com, it was how I attended my friend’s wedding (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

‘Oh no, the ceremony!’

I jumped naked out of the tiny single bed I was squashed into with a naked man named Rory*, and ran to the bathroom.

In the distance, I could hear the faint sounds of people gathering.

‘The wedding!’ I ran back in the room and yelled at Rory who was in a frozen state of confusion and shock, before grabbing my dress and leaping back into the bathroom.

This isn’t the beginning of a Hugh Grant rom com, it was how I attended my friend’s wedding in a villa in Lake Como, Italy: late, after having shagged the best man’s brother who I had just met days before.

It was absurd and embarrassing, and I haven’t lived it down since.

When I got to Italy on a flight with four other friends, the last thing I was thinking was to get laid. I had just my friend Sharon* on my mind – her wedding meant her rules. Luckily, she was one organised bride, so I didn’t have to do much to help.

I jumped naked out of the tiny single bed I was squashed into with a naked man (Picture: Getty Images)

While I was a good friend, I didn’t quite make the cut for bridesmaid, which I was quite happy about, after seeing them run around with clipboards for the next three days.

Sharon had decided on a destination wedding – Lake Como was all the rage at the time and was full of beautiful villas to marry in. She chose a large estate with enough rooms to house the 40 people attending the wedding, over four days.

The ceremony would be on day two, leaving us one extra day for recovery. We were, after all a chaotic bunch, having all met at the local pub over 10 years prior.

And it was a glorious wedding that culminated in lots of hilarious stories.

One being my dalliance with the best man’s brother Rory.

When I first placed eyes on him, I thought he was cute. Beyond that, I didn’t think much – as I said, I hadn’t even considered getting with anyone, I just wanted to have fun with my friends.

We were the last ones standing and shared a kiss by the silent pool (Picture: Getty Images)

But he evidently thought I was cute too, because the night we all arrived, drinking by the pool, he came and sat next to me, asking me what felt like hundreds of questions about my life.

He wanted to know what I did for a living, how old I was, if I had any pets, what I thought of dogs. Big dogs. He told me he had two big dogs.

I looked over at Sharon by question 12, and she smiled back winking.

I guess that was it – I was going to have to sleep with him.

That night, we were the last ones standing and shared a kiss by the silent pool, giggling. One thing led to another, and after all the wine we managed to down, we ended up having sex by the pool. 

Meet Sydney Summers

Hi besties,

As Metro's brand spanking new sex columnist, I'm here to bring you stories from my sensual past. I've gone through it all - from toe sucking to raunchy injuries - and I'm here to share it all with YOU.

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Read more by Sydney Summers:

I dated someone obsessed with Princess Diana – he wanted me to look like her

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It was quick and dangerous. While people had gone to bed, the villa was still awake, with bedroom lights on and voices echoing across the lawns.

I said goodnight after and went to bed in a room I was sharing with a friend at the time. As I crept in she turned on the light demanding to know all details of what had happened.

‘You had sex didn’t you?’, she said, smiling at me.

‘Yes!’ I fell to the bed laughing. It was the start of my holiday romance, and I was excited.

The next day, we set up for the ceremony – the bridesmaids were like headless chickens, frowning at everything they saw, losing clipboards and taking one too many ciggie breaks to calm down.

I had woken up late with a hangover and was very little help.

I slipped away with Rory and we went for a cute walk. To his room. And had sex (Picture: Getty Images/Connect Images)

So while they did that, I slipped away with Rory and we went for a cute walk. To his room. And had sex. This was the full extent of our relationship, and while I wanted to do more – go on romantic dates and get to know him – we had limited time.

But we had obviously fallen asleep because I was awoken to the sound of music and people gathering on the villa terrace.

It hit me – the ceremony was starting, and we were still in bed.

After jumping out of bed and telling Rory to get his clothes on, I walked very quickly from his room to mine.

I had an estimated five minutes to get ready, and I was nowhere near presentable.

I threw on the new dress I had bought for the wedding and the heels that I feared were too big. Brushed my hair, applied as much makeup as possible and ran out of my room – after taking off and holding my massive heels.

As I ran to the ceremony, Sharon had already walked down the aisle. I couldn’t believe I missed it. Looking behind me, I see Rory struggling with his bowtie, half running, half skipping to the front seats. 

I melted into my seat and enjoyed the rest of the ceremony (Picture: Getty Images)

He stands up quickly, does up his fly and sits back down as people around him giggle.

I grab a seat in the back and lock eyes with Sharon. After attempting to mime a ‘sorry’, she bursts out laughing and winks at me.

Luckily, she didn’t care, but obviously everyone knew why I was late.

I looked over at the friend next to me: ‘how obvious was it?’ I asked.

‘You might as well have been having sex with him at the altar’, he whispered back at me.

Nervously giggling, I melted into my seat and enjoyed the rest of the ceremony. Everything else went smoothly and Rory and I continued our holiday romance – this time, we didn’t hide it.

When the wedding was over, Rory and I said goodbye, promising to chat when we got back – me to London, him to Edinburgh. 

But we never did. It didn’t matter, he’s still in my life. Every time I’m late to something, my friends always quip: ‘Having sex with Rory were you?’

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing izzie.price@metro.co.uk. 

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Footage shows ‘Guinness heist’ which saw 70,000 pints stolen from depot

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Two men have been caught on CCTV in connection with a huge ‘Guinness heist’ that saw more than 70,000 pints stolen.

Police have released footage of the pair as they investigate the theft of around 800 kegs from a depot in Runcorn, Cheshire.

The Guinness, worth an estimated £115,000, was taken on Monday, August 31, and has still not been recovered.

No arrests have been made.

Two trailers involved in the theft were later found abandoned in Lathom, near Skelmersdale, Lancashire, around 30 miles from the depot.

Now Cheshire Police are appealing for information about the two men captured on CCTV.

Two men were caught on CCTV in connection with the ‘Guinness heist’ (Picture: Cheshire Police)

In the first clip, a white lorry arrives at the entrance to the depot.

A man gets out of the driver’s seat and walks towards the gate, where he appears to speak to someone before the gates open.

He then gets back into the cab and drives onto the site.

Later that evening, a second lorry arrives.

Another man appears to speak to someone at the entrance before the gates are opened and he drives into the depot.

Police believe both men could have vital information about the theft and are urging anyone who recognises them to come forward.

Detectives are also appealing to anyone who has been approached about buying Guinness at suspiciously cheap prices.

The force has warned that the stolen kegs could now be being offered for sale by criminals.

Detectives believe one lorry and HGV trailer left the depot at around 7.55pm carrying Guinness kegs which had been waiting to be delivered to pubs.

The stolen Guinness was worth an estimated £115,000 (Picture: Cheshire Police)

A second lorry arrived at 9.12pm and attached another trailer loaded with Guinness before leaving 18 minutes later.

The depot is on the Whitehouse Industrial Estate on the outskirts of Runcorn and is used by Diageo, the company behind Guinness.

Detective Sergeant McClatchey said officers had been following ‘numerous lines of enquiry’ since the theft was reported.

He added: ‘We will not settle for anything less than the full recovery of the near 900 stolen Guinness kegs and the locating of the offenders behind this brazen heist.’

He said police were now trying to identify the two men seen in the footage, who investigators believe ‘hold vital information’.

‘I’d urge anyone who recognises these men to contact us so that we can progress with our investigation,’ he said.

‘I would also strongly encourage the men in the footage to please come forward.’

The officer also warned anyone offered Guinness for sale to be cautious.

‘These kegs are stolen goods that are looking to be sold on by criminals,’ he said.

‘We are continuing to urge anyone who is approached by any prospective Guinness sellers to remain cautious and, as always, report any suspicions to police.’

Anyone with information is asked to contact Cheshire Police.

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Emmerdale ‘confirms’ who saves Charity from prison as new spoilers reveal what happens next

A hero steps up for Charity (Picture: ITV / Metro)

The nightmare situation which Emmerdale’s Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) is in has got much worse, courtesy of granddaughter Sarah Sugden (Katie Hill) who took shocking revenge.

It’s been an absolute hellish year for Charity, who struggled to cope under the weight of keeping the truth about baby Leyla’s parentage from Sarah, who was over the moon to be a mum to the little one.

In the wake of rapist Dr Todd’s (Caroline Harker) demise, Charity resolved to come clean in a bid to keep Sarah from going to the police and taking the blame for the villain’s death.

Sarah was disgusted with her gran and, in a bid to get revenge, she changed her statement, claiming that Charity killed Todd in cold blood and coerced her into making a statement to back up her claims of self-defence.

Brutal.

Now, Charity faces a bleak future, charged with murder and staring at the walls of a prison cell as the credits rolled on tonight’s offering of the ITV serial.

If you’re eager to know what happens next and if there’s any hope for Charity then you’re in the right place as we preview what’s to come tomorrow.

What happens next in Emmerdale? Spoilers for Thursday, September 10 episode

Charity is left feeling hopeless following Sarah’s cruel antics and worries that she’s all out of options. Will she spend the rest of her life behind bars?

That remains to be seen but there is one avenue she’s not explored and, in a bid to give things one last shot, she contacts Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb), assigning him with a specific task.

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Doing as his wife asks, Mack retrieves the St Christopher medal and delivers it to Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley), who immediately understands what is expected of him.

As viewers will recall, Cain handed Charity that very medal earlier this year and told Charity should she ever need him, she knows what to do.

Will Cain be able to get through to Sarah and make her see sense? Will he prove to be the hero Charity needs?

Cain knows what he must do (Picture: ITV)

Elsewhere, following her discovery that Jimmy King (Nick Miles) sold the haulage company, Nicola (Nicola Wheeler) attempts to locate the missing money – and she soon discovers that the family home has been remortgaged.

Joe Tate (Ned Porteous), meanwhile, visits his newborn son in the NICU and holds his hand through the incubator, which Kim (Claire King) hopes is a positive sign and perhaps even a breakthrough.

Later in the episode, Joe makes a decision regarding his son’s future – but just what will it be?

Emmerdale airs these scenes Thursday, September 10 at 8pm on ITV1 or stream from 7am on ITVX or YouTube.

If you’ve got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@metro.co.uk – we’d love to hear from you.

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