Beyoğlu mayor hosts owner of attacked record store in Istanbul

“I have met with my record store owner friend Seogu Lee. [I] shared my sadness and evaluations. God willing, he will reopen his store,” Demircan wrote on his official Twitter account at 7:15 p.m. on June 20, also sharing a picture from the visit.

A group of 20 assailants carrying sticks and bottles attacked a record store in central Istanbul on June 17, beating up store owners and Radiohead fans who were at a listening party of the band’s new album, “A Moon Shaped Pool.”

One of the fans was injured after being hit with a bottle, as the footage was live-streamed on Periscope. The band also condemned the attack in a statement.

Police detained three suspects over the assault but all were released a day after.

Shortly after the attack was picked up on social media, Demircan condemned the attack on Twitter, saying the incident was “unacceptable.”

“Just like all actions that involve violence, the incident in Firuzağa [a Beyoğlu neighborhood where the shop was located] is unacceptable. I condemn it,” he said, adding that trying to establish a link between the attack, fasting and different lifestyles would be an “assassination of social peace.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned the incident, saying that both the assailants and the victim were “wrong” in the attack. 

“Those who do not respect the sensibilities of their own nation and city and those who respond to this with an undemocratic reaction unfortunately overshadowed our hospitality with the brawl they started,” Erdoğan said on June 19. 

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş, meanwhile, said the attack resembled “the mentality of ISIL [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]” and did not befit Turkey or the understanding of tolerance that should prevail during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. 

Meanwhile, the owner of the record store, Seogu Lee, shared a statement on his Facebook page vowing not to shut down the store and thanking those who have supported him since the incident.