THIS is the shocking moment a tourist is beaten up by a gang of beach workers after reportedly arguing about the price of a sun lounger.
The holidaymaker – a Brit, according to local media – was set upon following a spat at Damlatas Beach in Alanya, Turkey‘s south coast, on Friday.
Three men storm over to the topless tourist, on the leftMilliyet TV
The man in the white vest lands a hefty whack, sending the holidaymaker to the sandMilliyet TV
Milliyet TVHe continues to smack the man while he’s on the floor[/caption]
He apparently turned down a sunbed after hearing the price – instead putting his kit straight on the sand so he could go for a dip.
Staff demanded he go elsewhere, insisting people must pay for a sunbed to use that patch of beach.
When he refused again, they piled in.
Dramatic footage shows three members of the team bounding across the sand towards the Brit, fists flying.
Nearby sunbathers scramble out of the way and screech in horror at the commotion.
One of the group wearing a white vest winds back and lands an almighty thump, clobbering his target to the ground.
Blows continue to rain down on the floored man, who rolls over and raises his limbs to shield himself, while the other two watch from the sidelines.
After the prime attacker has dealt a few more hefty whacks, one of the trio pulls him back and they all saunter off.
The victim is left on his knees, watching after them, before climbing back to his feet.
The clip went viral on social media and sparked a furious backlash against the thuggish behaviour.
Alanya District’s governor Fatih Urkmezer announced that the business in question had been closed.
He said: “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.
“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 owner of the business, Serhan Koçaroğlu, waded in to claim that the tourist was “under the influence of alcohol” and had lobbed a sunbed at a Turkish customer.
The tourist rolled over and shielded himself with his limbsMilliyet TV
The pack saunters of with the tourist left on his kneesMilliyet TV
He said the tourist turned on him when he tried to intervene.
Serhan added that the viral clip showed only the aftermath – and that his teams aggression was only in response to himself being attacked.
The business owner also apologised for damaging the reputation of Alanya.
He said: “I did not file a complaint in order not to damage the tourism image of Alanya.”
Contrary to local media reports, the beach worker claimed that the man in the video was Russian, not British, but Turkish officials have not confirmed his nationality.
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