One of Turkey’s most famous retailers, Beymen, has come out in support of protesters occupying Gezi Park in central Istanbul. Police have been using tear gas and water cannons against the demonstrators, who oppose government plans to redevelop the green space into a mall.
n a Twitter post earlier today, Cem Boyner, owner of Beymen, made it clear the luxury chain would steer clear of the site. “We cannot take part in a project so objected to by people and by our customers,” he said on the Twitter account of his wife, Umit, which was verified by a spokeswoman for Beymen.