Kurdish and Turkish women's organisations demanded the resignation of the government appointed rector of Istanbul's Bogazici University at a protest outside the Turkish Embassy in London yesterday.

In a socially distanced protest they displayed the rainbow flag, raising the slogan of the student movement: "We will not bow, we will not look down."

The organisations - which included the Socialist Women's Union (SKB) and the Kurdish Women's Assembly - hit out at homophobic remarks made by Turkey's bullish interior minister Suleyman Soylu who described LGBT people as "perverts" earlier this week.

Twitter blocked his account over the remark. But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech on Wednesday: "We will carry our young people to the future, not as the LGBT youth, but as the youth that existed in our nation's glorious past."

Mr Erdogan has previously said that LGBT people were incompatible with Turkish values, accusing them of "poisoning" the minds of young people.

He referred to the protesters as "terrorists" and warned his government would "do what it takes" to stop them.

But the groups warned the remarks "target the right to life" of the LGBT community and "perpetrate and incite hate crimes."

"As women, we condemn Soylu's statements.

" Boğaziçi students and the LGBT community are right, their demands must be accepted. The trustee must resign!

"Get used to; LGBT people existed, they exist and they will exist, " they said in a statement.

Solidarity continues to grow for the protests which were triggered by the appointment of pro-Erdogan rector Melih Bulu, a businessman who had previously stood as a candidate for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

His appointment, the first from outside the university community since the 1980 coup, sparked widespread anger and is seen as a reflection of a deeply authoritarian regime tightening its grip on all aspects of life in Turkey.

The response has been heavy-handed as Erdogan fears the protests will become "another Gezi" - the 2013 protests that nearly brought down the government.

In Britain, the Peace in Kurdistan group released a statement condemning the attacks on peaceful protests and is collecting signatories and messages of support.

The National Union of Students (NUS) has pledged its solidarity with those fighting back across Turkey.

It's President, Larissa Kennedy said: “State violence and police brutality are global injustices and our rage and solidarity are with the LGBTQ+ students from Istanbul’s Bogazici University who are fighting for liberation at this time.”

Some 528 people have been detained this week, according to Interior Ministry figures.

Snipers have been positioned on buildings with their sights targeted on protesters and police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse demonstrations.

Students have warned of sexual assaults and violence at the hands of police. A woman was beaten unconscious in the capital Ankara earlier this week.

The women's organisations demanded the immediate release of all those held.