Call to 'close the Bar Street' from AKP deputy! 'If I had been elected mayor, I would have revoked all their licenses in one day'

Eskişehir Deputy İdris Nebi Hatipoğlu, who resigned from the İYİ Party to join the AKP, has sparked controversy with his remarks regarding the Bar Street, where young people frequently gather in the city.

Hatipoğlu, who is also a member of the AKP Central Decision and Executive Board (MKYK), argued that the Bar Street should be closed and demanded that the businesses be removed from the city center.

While claiming that the AKP does not interfere with the lifestyles of citizens, Hatipoğlu stated that he is against the concentration of establishments serving alcohol on a specific street. Hatipoğlu said, "The AK Party does not interfere with what citizens eat, drink, or where they go anywhere. We are in power, we have the power of the law. If we had such an intention, we would say 'let all places serving alcohol be closed.' We are not saying that; this is not something that concerns us. This is the private life of the citizen. They can eat or drink whatever they want."

Criticizing the location of the Bar Street in an area where university students live, Hatipoğlu said, "I am against this, and if I had been elected metropolitan mayor, I would have revoked all their licenses in one day."

Stating that the area could be turned into cafes and art workshops for students, Hatipoğlu remarked, "If you want to serve students, you don't necessarily have to serve them by opening a bar."

Also alleging that there are security problems in the area, Hatipoğlu said, "I also get reports from the police; there is a fight there every day. There is a stabbing every day. The citizen says, 'The state should take precautions.' Well, my brother, is the state going to follow you around all day long, chasing drunks?"

Hatipoğlu argued that businesses serving alcohol should be moved outside of Eskişehir, saying, "They should go and open them outside of Eskişehir, on certain ring roads, but this Bar Street cannot be in the heart of Eskişehir, inside the neighborhood where university students live."