03/09/2025 | Writer: Kaos GL
Trans Blok: “Anyone who tries to criminalize our self-defense is part of the transfobia being produced. We, who are targeted by hate, violence, and harassment every day, will not remain silent.”
Photo: Hülya Çetinkaya / csgorselarsiv.org
On the night of August 31, trans women living in Beyoğlu were attacked in the middle of the street by an intoxicated man. After videos showing the trans women chasing the man who had attacked them spread on social media, the trans women became targets. Trans Blok Istanbul issued a statement on their social media accounts regarding the incident.
Referring to the man’s persistent harassment of trans women, Trans Blok stated that he assaulted a trans woman and also attacked nearby shopkeepers. The trans women, saying “We only defended ourselves,” used the following words in their statement:
“As trans people living in Beyoğlu, we faced a serious attack on the night of August 31, 2025. A heavily intoxicated man first disturbed passersby on the street, then began harassing us. While we were entering our home, he attacked and kicked one of our friends. While we closed our door and waited inside, we saw him talking to a crowd outside. When one of us went to understand what was happening and speak to him, the man attacked her too—even though she didn’t even speak Turkish. That friend also has a medical report documenting the assault. We chased him to scare him off and protect our friend. He ran away, but shortly after tried to come at us again. We were forced to chase him away once more. Then he disappeared from sight. While we were trying to figure out what was happening, he reappeared in front of our door with a beer bottle in his hand. We shut our doors, but he lingered around the house for a while, sat at a nearby tea house, then came back to our door. Because of the disturbance he was causing, local shopkeepers tried to take the bottle from him. However, he responded with violence against them too. At that moment, our assaulted friend tried to speak to him again, but when the man attacked the shopkeepers as well, we rushed at him with broomsticks from inside our home to scare him off. He ran away. One of our friends threw the stick toward him. As can clearly be seen in the videos, it was he who made the first move. We only defended ourselves.”
“We were kept waiting at the police station for hours”
The trans women stated that the police collected camera footage the following morning, which clearly showed what the attacker had done. However, they said they were the ones taken to the police station and arbitrarily kept waiting there:
“We were arbitrarily kept waiting at the police station for hours. This is just one of the routine practices of a system that devalues the lives of trans people and the violence we face. Now we are also being targeted by an organized hate campaign on social media.”
Tags: human rights, women, trans, lgbti
