2 killed, several injured in Kurdish protests

Two protesters have been shot dead and several have been wounded during a pro-Kurdish demonstration in South East Turkey.

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A shop keeper opened fire on the crowd when the protesters attacked his shop. The crowd were protesting against the banning of Turkey’s main Kurdish party the Democratic Society Party (DTP).

The protests were a direct result of the Turkish constitutional court banning the DTP for having links to the PKK terrorist organisation.

The violence in the city of Mus where most citizens are Kurdish came after several days of protests in the eastern cities of Turkey.

The local media have said large crowds had attacked shops that were open because the protesters expected the shops to be closed in solidarity with the banned party.

The DTP, which has 21 MPs, said it would withdraw from Turkey’s parliament to protest against the ruling.

The party was the latest in a series of 10 pro-Kurdish parties to be closed down by the Turkish authorities.

Four months ago, Turkey’s government promised a new beginning in the state’s relationship with its largest minority, the Kurds. Kurds make up about 20% of Turkey’s population of more than 70 million.

It offered reforms giving the Kurds greater freedom of expression, hoping to cut support for the armed uprising waged by the separatist PKK for the past 25 years.

But there has been a strong nationalist backlash against the initiative, fired up by a series of provocative incidents which culminated in the killing this week of seven soldiers by the PKK.

On Monday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he opposed the banning of the DTP, and called for national unity.

Party leaders have warned the party’s closure would only cause greater feelings of frustration and hopelessness within the Kurdish community, our correspondent adds.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the EU and the US.