Music
Radiohead fans attacked at Istanbul record store
by Jesse Locke
June 20, 2016
20 men attacked fans with pipes and bottles, threatening to burn down the store.
On Friday night, Turkish Radiohead fans gathered at a record store were hit with a surprise attack from an angry mob. This event at Istanbul’s Velvet IndieGround was part of the band’s worldwide streaming event to celebrate the release of their new album.
A Moon Shaped Pool has received mixed reviews, but this attack wasn’t aimed at the band or album specifically. Rather, the men were simply upset that the store was not observing Ramadan, with attendees listening to music and drinking alcohol.
Reports gathered from Reddit and a camera set up to stream the event have provided some shocking information. Alongside threats to burn down the store with everyone inside, 20 men attacked owners and attendees. A person claiming to be one of Velvet IndieGround’s owners shared his story:
“i am the person that’s speaking in that video. i am the owner of that periscope account. they were determined to kill us. we were beaten by more than 20 men with pipes in their hands, beer bottles were broken on our heads, i don’t even know how we made it out. i will share the details later guys. just hoping that noone will die.”
Watch footage of the attack and see one injured fan below:
Radiohead released a statement on the attack, which they describe as “violent intolerance”:
A rally protesting the record store attack was broken up by Istanbul police using tear gas, rubber bullets, and a water cannon. Fellow fans from around the world are also leaving messages of support on the event’s Facebook page.
[h/t Consequence of Sound]
Tags: Music, News, a moon shaped pool, attack, istanbul, Radiohead, turkey, velvet indieground
