Thousands of people on Saturday took to the streets in Turkey in an international day of solidarity with the mainly Kurdish Syrian town of Kobani which has been besieged by militants for over six weeks.Around 1,000 pro-Kurdish supporters took part in a march in central Istanbul which was so far peaceful following warnings from the authorities they would not tolerate any unrest.
But the biggest event took place in Turkey's largest Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakir where at least 15,000 people marched, flashing the 'V' for victory sign amid heavy police security. The demonstrations had originally been called by Turkey's biggest pro-Kurdish party the People's Democratic Party (HDP), and the government had sternly warned against any disorder.
"Peaceful demonstrations will be allowed," Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Saturday, but the security forces "would do what is necessary" if the situation degenerated.
Tensions are currently running high between the government and Turkey's Kurds after pro-Kurdish protests last month left over 30 people dead across the country. Many Kurds in Turkey are angry over the government's perceived lack of support for the Kurds fighting for Kobani against ISIS.
"Kobani is a symbol of the Kurdish resistance," said Bulent one of the demonstrators in Istanbul.
Many of the Kurdish demonstrators in Istanbul waved banners with the face of Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned head of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), still seen by many Kurds as their overall leader.
Meanwhile, some 5,000 people demonstrated in solidarity with Kobani in the Turkish town of Suruc, 10 kilometres from the border and from where the peshmerga had left for Kobani the day before.
Following the HDP's call, international demonstrations were also expected to be held across Europe and in Australia and the United States.