A listening party for Radiohead's A Moon-Shaped Pool held in the Tophane district of Istanbul yesterday was savagely attacked by Islamic fundamentalists.
A group of approximately twenty men stormed a small music shop known as Velvet Indie-Ground and attacked patrons for listening to music and consuming alcohol during the holy month of Ramadan. The religious event prevents adherents to Islam from listening to music or consuming alcohol or food from sunrise to sunset.
The attack, which was captured on video by patrons inside the music store, quickly went viral when it was posted to YouTube and reported by local Turkish media. The video shows the attackers throwing barstools, cursing at the people at the party and smashing up the music store. At least two people were injured during the attack. One eyewitness said that one of the attackers "kicked my friend for telling them it wasn’t right to hit women."
Meanwhile, Radiohead released a statement saying that they "hope that some day we will be able to look back on such acts of violent intolerance as things of the ancient past. For now, we can only offer our fans in Istanbul our love and support."
Many arts and culture events in Turkey are being attacked by Islamic fundamentalists, which critics believe is thanks to President Erdogan's open embrace of Ottomanism.
Via YouTube