Rage against beerhouses sparks protests in Turkey's Tunceli

TUNCELİ – Doğan News Agency

The incidents spread to four beerhouses nearby as some of the groups entered and threw out the tables, chairs and other belongings from inside. DHA Photo

A beerhouse owner shooting a customer with a shotgun in the eastern province of Tunceli sparked furious protests against beerhouses across the city.

The owner of a beerhouse, identified as Ö.Ö., shot his customer, 22-year-old S.A., due to a fight that broke out between them for unknown reasons on Sept. 23. After the incident, around 500 people, who were reportedly opposed to the presence of beerhouses employing female waitresses in the city, gathered and marched to the beerhouse.

The angered protesters demanded to take Ö.Ö. to the police and started to throw stones at the establishment, escalating the tension.

Half an hour later clashes between protestors and police vehicles began, police took Ö.Ö to the police station, but the violence didn’t abate and rather escalated as the number of protesters reached around 1,000.

The incidents spread to four beerhouses nearby as some of the groups entered and threw out the tables, chairs and other belongings from inside.

When the police fired tear gas and water cannon at protesters who were shouting “We don’t want beerhouses in Tunceli,” the protesters responded by setting fire to the objects they had thrown out.

As the electric lines were also damaged during the fire, the neighborhood also was hit by a power blackout.

Demonstrations ended around midnight with protesters dispersing after police the interventions.

Meanwhile, the injured customer S.A. is reported to be recovering from the shooting as his operation was completed successfully.