Activists forced the manager of a nightclub in Odessa to apologize for the beating of a woman

The incident, which occurred on June 13 on Deribasovskaya Street in downtown Odessa—and which the police described as a dispute between a local resident and the club’s manager—has taken a new turn.

Initially, a video emerged showing a man—who, as it turned out, was the director of the Turkuaz nightclub—violently punching a woman, and when others tried to pull him away, he attempted to slam her head against the wall several times. 

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The man was eventually subdued, and later a video emerged in which he apologizes to all the women of Odessa for his behavior. The video of the apology was released by activists from the civil society organization "G.A.R.T." According to the activists, the day after the incident, they visited the establishment to conduct educational outreach.
 

"After that, the director agreed to apologize publicly," the activists noted.

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The apology was also posted on the establishment’s Facebook page. In particular, the director insists that it was an unintentional incident.

"The police also have the full recording of this video, including the beginning of the incident, but that part was cut out, and the video was shared on social media in this edited form," he stated.

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On June 14, the police reported that they had opened two criminal cases based on statements from both parties to the conflict. According to police, the conflict between the local resident and the restaurant director arose over a remark the 68-year-old woman made to workers who were performing repair work near the restaurant.

During the argument in the archway at the entrance to the building where the woman lives, she unplugged a power tool from the electrical outlet, after which a verbal altercation began between her and the 58-year-old restaurant director, which escalated into a physical fight.

This is not the first time that public establishments in Odessa have been embroiled in scandal; for instance, the owners of the “Tatarka” restaurant, which opened in Odessa on Vorontsovsky Lane, had to apologize to the Crimean Tatar community over the menu and offensive remarks.

Кирило Бойко