Turkey: Sprinklers turned on in campus to prevent students from watching LGBT-friendly film

A university administration in Istanbul, Turkey, ordered the sprinklers to be turned on to prevent the outdoor screening of a feature film on a transgender woman's relationship with her lover.

The screening of three films, "My Child", "Go", and "Laurence Anyways" in the annual "Outdoor Screenings" event in Bogazici University's campus were earlier banned by the university administration.

When the BU Cinema Club informed on social media that "Laurence Anyways" would be screened on Wednesday evening despite the ban, the administration quickly issued an announcement that the club's elected executives were removed and the club's activites were "frozen" for a month, Diken reported.

It then went on to order the sprinklers to be turned on in the area that the equipment for the screening were to be placed.

When the BU Student Council called on all students to gather around the area to watch the film on their laptops and mobile devices, the sprinklers that have been turned off were turned on again.

Dozens of students still sat on relatively dry spots of grass to watch the film together.

According to Diken's report, riot police were dispatched and armored police vehicles armed with water cannons were positioned around the campus.