Clashes in Turkey on day of Kurdish funerals

Thousands of angry demonstrators have gathered in Turkey, after 35 civilians were killed near the border with Iraq.

The smugglers had been mistaken for Kurdish militants and hit by a military air strike. Protesters chanted anti-government slogans. They’re angry with the way the Kurdish minority is treated in the country.

“This operation is connected directly to the Kurd problem. If we cannot solve this problem, I expect more events like this. This situation may be a chance for all of us to solve this issue,” said one protester.

The country’s largest pro-Kurdish party, BDP, has labelled the attack a crime against humanity and human rights groups have requested a UN investigation.

Meanwhile a PKK commander has urged Kurds to rise up after what he called an organised and planned massacre.

Earlier thousands of mourners had attended the funerals of the mostly young villagers, who were killed in the air strike. The procession soon turned political, with many of the coffins draped in colours associated with Kurdish identity, and the PKK rebel group.

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