Latest news with #FatihÜrkmezer
Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
'Brit' tourist 'attacked' on busy beach after refusing to use sunlounger
A fight broke out on Damlatas Beach in the Alanya district of Antalya, Turkey over the price of sunbed rental, according to local media reports. The scrap was watch by beachgoers and captured on video A tourist who decided not to buy a sunbed was beaten up by a resort worker on a popular Turkish beach, it has been reported. The fight broke out on Damlatas Beach in the Alanya district of Antalya and was watched by crowds of tourists. A sunseeker had been enjoying the rays and asked a resort employee how much sun lounger rentals cost, Milliyet reported. The tourist decided the price was too high and forgoed the sunbed, opting instead to put his things on the sand. The worker then asked him to remove his belongings and leave the resort. At this point, the fight broke out. Do you have a holiday story to share? Email webtravel@ The violence was caught on video. The clip shows several men swarming around a man in swimming trunks who falls to the floor as they beat him. He struggles to get off the sand onto his feet as they continue the pummelling. Several sunworshippers lounging on towels nearby watched on, clearly shocked by the outbreak of violence. Alanya District Governor Fatih Ürkmezer said that the sunbed business had been closed following the fight. "Judicial and administrative procedures regarding the attack on a tourist that occurred in a beach business in Alanya in recent days, which does not reflect our city and our understanding of tourism, have been initiated immediately," he told local media, clearly concerned about the impact the fight and video of it could have on tourism to the area. "Approaches that are contrary to the understanding of hospitality of both our city and our country will not be tolerated in Alanya, one of the cities where tourism first began in Turkey." Business owner Serhan Koçaroğlu sent a written statement to the press following the incident, giving his version of events. He claimed that the incident occurred outside the beach borders of his business and that the beaten man had provoked the attack. Mr Koçaroğlu also said that the tourist was Russian and not British, as some local media outlets have suggested. "A Russian tourist, under the influence of alcohol, threw a sunbed at our Turkish customer sitting in a lodge on our beach. When I went to intervene, I was physically attacked by the tourist in question," Mr Koçaroğlu said. "The scuffle that broke out when some citizens and Turkish customers on the beach reacted after they saw me being beaten was recorded. There is no footage of the beginning of the incident. Also, it is not legally possible to have security cameras on the beach." Mr Koçaroğlu said that he decided not to contact police following the incident as he did not want to damage the reputation of Alanya, Milliyet reported. The sunbed scuffle was the first major lounger-related incident to make news of the summer season. However, there are bound to be plenty more as families head out to swimming pools and beaches across southern Europe for a spot of sunshine.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Sunbed wars! Shocking moment 'Brit' is beaten by beach staff 'after he argued over the price of a lounger and just dumped his towel on the sand'
This is the shocking moment a 'British' tourist was beaten up by a member of staff at a Turkish beach after he reportedly complained about the price of a sun bed. The brawl broke out on Friday at Damlatas Beach in the Alanya district of Antalya after the tourist, who was described as British by Turkish media, enquired about renting a sun lounger but decided to opt out after finding it too costly. Instead, the tourist is said have dumped his belongings on the sand so he could go for a dip in the sea. An employee told the tourist to take his stuff elsewhere, but events escalated after the tourist refused, which resulted in the the staff member reportedly beating him up in front of other holidaymakers. Footage shows the employee attacking a man, who can be seen falling onto the sand as he is punched and kicked. Onlookers can be seen screaming in horror, while others move away from the brawl. Two men are seen breaking up the fight before the video comes to an end. The clip has since gone viral on social media, prompting backlash from the public. Alanya District Governor Fatih Ürkmezer announced that the business involved had been closed. 'Judicial and administrative procedures regarding the attack on a tourist that occurred in a beach business in Alanya in recent days, which does not reflect our city and our understanding of tourism , have been initiated immediately,' he said. 'Approaches that are contrary to the understanding of hospitality of both our city and our country will not be tolerated in Alanya, one of the cities where tourism first began in Turkey,' the district governor added. Business owner Serhan Koçaroğlu responded to the incident, claiming that the tourist was 'under the influence of alcohol,' adding that he had thrown a sunbed at a Turkish customer. When Koçaroğlu tried to intervene, he said he was attacked by the tourist in question He added that the videos circulating online only showed the aftermath of the incident, saying that the brawl was a reaction to him being beaten. The business owner added that he was sorry for giving Alanya a negative image. 'I did not file a complaint in order not to damage the tourism image of Alanya. However, I would like to inform the public that I reserve all my legal rights due to the unfounded news published in some media outlets,' he said. Koçaroğlu also claimed that the tourist was Russian. The incident on the Turkish beach over a lounger is the latest in a spate of beach bed battles across European holiday destinations. Earlier this month, two British holidaymakers got into a furious row over a sunbed at a three-star Lanzarote hotel. A disgruntled woman could be seen telling a sunbather that she is going to complain about her to the manager at the Hyde Park Lane apartments on the Spanish island. Footage shows the woman, who appears to have a Scottish accent and is wearing a pink cover up, accusing the other Brit of taking a spot which members of her group had been occupying 'all week'. The tourist lying on the sunbed warns her 'don't be rude' and tells her to 'turn around and walk away'. Holidaymaker Callum Lines, who can be heard shouting 'Karen' at the woman in pink, witnessed the commotion while sunbathing poolside and decided to film the row. 'The Scottish lady said they had been using those beds all week, accusing the couple lying down and moving their items,' Lines, 31, said. 'Just to the left, out of shot, was a sign stating no reservation of sunbeds. I'm not sure this was the case though'. The holidaymaker, from Leamington Spa, said the Scottish woman then left to hunt down hotel management - who he said never showed up. 'There were plenty more available beds - all with equal sun exposure - so this really wasn't needed,' Lines said.
