PodcastTurkish patisserie apologizes after rejecting Kurdish song request
A Turkish patisserie on Nov. 21 apologized after it drew criticism on social media for rejecting the Kurdish song request by a customer saying it was “forbidden” in its Mardin store. The customer had shared the incident on social media and called for a boycott of the establishment.
Duvar English
Turkish patisserie chain “Mualla Desert Kingdom” with multiple stores around the country on Nov. 21 issued an apology after it drew criticism for rejecting a customer’s Kurdish song request during a birthday celebration, saying it is “forbidden” in its southeastern Mardin store.
The patisserie shared the apology message in both Turkish and Kurdish and said the establishment did not condone such behavior. The statement read, “The improper words uttered by our employee have drawn public criticism. We express our regrets and state we never condone such behavior. We apologize on behalf of our employee.”
The customer whose request was denied shared the incident through her social media and called for a boycott of the establishment. The woman said in the video that “You cannot ignore us, or our language. You cannot forbid our language in our city, or anywhere else! We are boycotting you. Long live Kurdish!”
The hashtag campaign #muallaboycott drew support on social media after the customer’s post.
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