The unrest, involving about 100 people, erupted in central Istanbul following a Kurdish demonstration in the wake of a court ruling Friday that outlawed the country's main Kurdish party.

The two groups attacked each other with sticks and stones, and gunshots were also heard, the AFP reporter said.

Violent demonstrations, mainly in the Kurdish-majority southeast, broke out in the wake of Friday's court ruling, with police using tear gas and water cannons against the crowds.

Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, is home to a sizeable community of Kurdish migrants from the southeast.