Protests and violence erupted across southeastern Turkey on Saturday as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the area, a hotbed of Kurdish rebel sentiment. An explosion at offices of Erdogan's party in the area injured six people, authorities said, according to AP. As Erdogan arrived in the southeastern city of Van, Kurdish demonstrators protested violently, clashing with police, throwing stones and burning four vehicles. Police fired into the air and used pepper spray to disperse the protesters, said the state-run Anatolia news agency, citing local authorities. The clashes left seven protesters and six policemen injured, the police chief of Van, Salih Kesmez, said. The police detained 44 demonstrators, Kesmez added. In the nearby city of Hakkari, an explosion rocked the offices of Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party, injuring six people, Gov. Ayhan Nasuhbeyoglu of Hakkari said. Erdogan was scheduled to visit Hakkari on Sunday.
