"Thousands of Kurds demonstrate in Turkey for more rights, EU membership
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, Dec 12 (AFP) - 16h47 - About 50,000 Kurdish demonstrators gathered Sunday in Diyarbakir, the heart of Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast, to lend support to Turkey's EU membership bid and demand more freedoms.
Although the demonstration itself was peaceful, around 100 people clashed with police when they were stopped from holding a separate march after the rally ended. Waving flags in the traditional Kurdish colors of yellow, red and green, the demonstrators, who poured into the city from all over the region, chanted peace slogans as bands performed songs in Kurdish. The meeting, organized by Turkey's main pro-Kurdish party DEHAP, was entitled 'Yes to diversity, no to separatism.' 'We want to be part of Turkey with our Kurdish identity, we want EU membership,' 'Long live peace,' read the banners held up by the crowd. "
More:Kurdish Info - Thousands of Kurds demonstrate in Turkey for more rights, EU membership
