Turkish state railways files criminal complaint against anti-homophobia video

Turkey's state-owned railway company filed a criminal complaint against a video recorded in a commuter train in Istanbul. The video was later webcast on social media platforms as an anti-homophobia public service announcement.

In the 58-second video, a gay couple holding hands are annoyed by the fixed, intimidating stare of a passenger and uneasily let go hands, but the mood quickly changes when other passengers notice and in a spontaneous act of solidarity start holding each other's hands one by one.

The administration of Turkish State Railways (TCDD) said that permission was requested in November 2019 for the filming of a social media ad and that the video was recorded in a decommissioned train.

It complained that the video was not recorded as an ad but as an "alleged public service announcement," that it was much later webcast in August this year, and that neither the content nor the applicant's identity matched with the information in the application.