In the Armutalan district of Marmaris, Muğla, video footage of an incident at a fun pub restaurant rapidly circulated on social media. Amid claims that foreign national women were assaulted in the video, it was reported that administrative proceedings were launched against the establishment, culminating in its closure.
Following the event, employees of the business came forward, asserting that the reality of the situation was a deliberate provocation and that the events were intentionally misrepresented to the public.
Staff members alleged that a family, consisting of a woman, a man, and their three children, first consumed a meal and then departed the venue without asking for their bill. They stated that they contacted the police, but the situation escalated before law enforcement could arrive. Furthermore, venue officials noted that of the five employees involved in the incident that night, two were dismissed, while the other three, whom they believe to be innocent, continue their employment.
“THEY SAID ‘WE WON’T PAY, NO ONE CAN DO ANYTHING TO US’”
Adar Akçın, an employee and one of the managers who identified himself as a university student working during his summer break to earn money, recounted the events. “We were here that night. The group arrived, came inside, ate their food, and had their drinks. There were no issues inside. They had fun, chatted with the staff, everything was very pleasant. Then they went outside. But the bill was not paid. They didn’t even ask for it. It’s understandable if you’re not satisfied and dispute the bill. But here, they just got up and left without even saying ‘bring the bill.’ We have camera recordings of this. I went after them and asked, ‘Don’t you have a bill?’ They said, ‘No.’ I asked, ‘Where are you going?’ The argument began at that moment. Their first words were, ‘We are not going to pay, and nobody can do a thing to us,’” he explained.
“I DID NOT RETALIATE WHEN THE WOMAN STRUCK ME”
Akçın stated that the situation quickly devolved into threats and violence. “We told them we would call the police. We called around 23.03. At that point, they started swearing, making threats, and pushing the employees. We did not respond to anyone. One of the women punched me. It’s visible in the footage. The group consisted of the woman, her husband, another person with them, and also their children. Even when the woman hit me, I did not retaliate. The woman was constantly provoking. She was shouting and gesturing with her hand, saying ‘Come on!’. We tried to calm the situation. We were already closing the establishment. They tried to re-enter. Customers were still inside. We said, ‘Please don’t come in.’ But they even disturbed the people inside. In fact, one of the customers asked, ‘We are trying to have a good time, why are these people behaving this way?’” he said.
“THEY INSULTED US, SAYING ‘YOU ARE ALL LOW-LEVEL PEOPLE’”
Claiming the incident extended beyond just the bill, Akçın detailed, “The verbal insults from the woman and her companion became severe. She pointed to the flag and said, ‘You are all low-level people. We came from England, from Scotland. You are not on our level.’ She said, ‘You are a deeply low-level nation,’ and ‘Fuck your nation, fuck your flag.’ I saw this as a curse on my homeland. This is not something that can be accepted. The woman throws a punch, and then acts as if she is protecting her husband. It will be clearly seen in the footage. The woman is not being hit. In fact, after the incident, she walks away from the establishment. If three men had assaulted a woman, she would have been hospitalized. But she has no health problems. This explains everything.” He also added that he found the closure of the business, approximately 40 days after the event, to be unjust.
“SHE IS SWEARING AT OUR STAFF WHO ARE TRYING TO CALM HER DOWN”
Hayrettin Akçın, another official from the business, made similar statements, arguing the incident was a severe provocation rather than a simple dispute over a bill. “We have the complete footage. The woman not only refused to pay the bill but also behaved aggressively towards the staff and customers. There were punches, attempts to hit with a bag, and provocative shouting. The woman is yelling ‘Come on, let’s see’ while her child is next to her. She is also swearing at our staff member who is trying to de-escalate the situation. The most egregious part is her swearing at our flag. She uses English phrases like ‘You are a low-level nation.’ Pointing at the flag, she says, ‘Fuck your flag.’ After that point, the kids (employees) couldn’t contain themselves. Still, there was no physical intervention against the woman by anyone. There might have been some contact with the woman who was trying to protect her husband, but an assault is absolutely out of the question,” he remarked, while also stating their opposition to violence of any kind.
POLICE ARRIVED, NEITHER PARTY FILED A COMPLAINT
It was learned that after the incident, neither party pressed charges against the other. It was also alleged that the videos circulating on social media only contain the final moments of the event, with the preceding parts being deliberately omitted.
“THE FOOTAGE IS EDITED, WE WILL SHARE EVERYTHING”
The business’s employees defended themselves by stating, “The footage is edited. It’s being portrayed as if we attacked people for no reason. However, the reality is a refusal to pay the bill, followed by severe insults and provocation. We will share the camera recordings with both you and the authorities. Let everything that happened come to light.”