Police in Turkey blast pride parade with water cannons, 'accidentally create rainbow'

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A crowd-dispersing method turned into an unwitting symbol of defiance, if this photo is to be believed, in Taksim Square, Turkey yesterday, where the annual gay pride parade was being held.

Turkish police used water cannon trucks and rubber pellets on those gathered in the centre of Istanbul, despite the parade having taken place peacefully the year before.

Attendees were injured by the cannons, according to Hurriyet Daily, though amongst the disruption one onlooker took a photo that purportedly showed one of the jets creating a rainbow in the sunlight.

We couldn't verify the image, which it is possible has been Photoshopped, but it is being widely shared in Turkey nonetheless (being viewed over 1.5 million times worldwide), reflecting the colours of Pride amid the chaos.

"Police reacts with water cannons. Karma reacts with rainbow." Ozhan Zurel tweeted.

According to AFP, police took action against the crowd when members of it began shouting slurs against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

It has also been reported that parade was interrupted due to it being Ramadan, but there was no such police action last year when it fell on the same day.

The LGBT community and those supporting marriage equality have been flying the rainbow flag proudly this week, after the US Supreme Court ruled that the US Constitution provides same-sex couples with the right to marry.