2 Killed as Kurds and Police Clash Over Holiday

Thousands of Kurdish youths put up barricades and battled police in a southeastern city after authorities banned Kurds from celebrating their New Year. Two demonstrators were killed.

Riot police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse crowds in the city of Mersin, where at least 40 police and 20 protesters were injured, Gov. Akif Tig said. At least 200 people were detained.

Authorities banned celebrations of Nowruz--the Persian word for New Year--in Mersin and other southeastern cities where they said the festivities would be “exploited by outlawed groups to cause provocations.”

Turkey, which is seeking membership in the European Union, is under increasing pressure to grant cultural rights to Kurds.