Clashes in Turkey amid Kurdish festivities

Kurds clash with police in eastern Turkey on Sunday amid Newroz celebrations, which authorities said are only permitted on the 21 of March.

The clashes broke out when Kurdish demonstrations insisted on taking part in early celebrations for the traditional Kurdish New Year.

Police fired water cannon and tear gas, while demonstrations retaliated by hurling stones.

Violence also erupted in Istanbul, where police fired smoke grenades towards demonstrators, and chased protesters along a main highway in Turkey's biggest city.

Newroz is also celebrated in Iran, northern Iraq and central Asia as the beginning of spring.

It often sparks clashes between Turkish security forces and supporters of the Kurdistan Workers Party, which took up arms in 1984 to carve out a Kurdish ethnic homeland in southeastern Turkey.

Around 12 to 14 million people out of Turkey's population of 70 million are Kurdish.

Travis Brecher, Reuters