Turkish lira exchange rates are displayed on Istklal Avenue in Istanbul, March 21, 2024 (AFP/Yasin AKGUL)
A call for a boycott denouncing “the exorbitant prices” of cafes and restaurants mobilized many Turks this weekend. A first in Türkiye, caught for several years in an inflationary spiral.
“It’s a popular movement. The people are fed up and are showing their reaction,” says Iris Cibre, a finance expert at the origin of this call for a boycott launched only for this weekend and shared hundreds of thousands of times on social networks.
Cafes and restaurants saw their attendance drop in certain districts of Istanbul and Ankara on Saturday and Sunday, while others were filled mainly with tourists, AFP noted.
“With my friends, we decided to meet in a park and not in a cafe as usual,” says Ceren, a student in Ankara who supports the boycott.
“We are ruined every time we go out anyway, it will do us good,” she smiles.
For Iris Cibre, the sum of 880 Turkish liras (25 euros) paid in mid-April for a meal and a coffee in a neighborhood bistro that she often frequents in Istanbul was the trigger.
“Ten months ago, I paid 345 pounds (nearly 10 euros) for the same dish and a coffee. That means a 155% increase in Turkish liras. Even in dollars, the increase is 80%. But we have not experienced such inflation,” she reacts.
She then decided to launch a call on X to boycott cafes and restaurants in Turkey on April 20 and 21 to protest against “the exorbitant prices”.
His call is shared by hundreds of thousands of Internet users who complain about “a soup for 200 pounds” (nearly six euros) or a kebab sandwich for 300 pounds (8.6 euros) and traders ” opportunists” who “rip off” consumers.
The price rise denounced by Ms. Cibre exceeds the official inflation figures, already high (68.5% in March over one year), but also those of independent economists who estimated it in March at 124.6% in Turkey.
The Central Bank of Türkiye, in Ankara on February 8, 2024 (AFP/ADEM ALTAN)
The net minimum wage is 17,000 Turkish liras (489 euros) in Türkiye.
Despite salaries being much lower than in most European countries, the prices of many products and services in Turkey have recently approached and sometimes exceeded those in Europe.
– “Opportunism” –
“I am aware of the high costs, as well as the bad government policies at the origin of this situation. But nothing justifies these prices which exceed inflation,” protests Ms. Cibre.
His individual appeal, which does not have the support of any political party or NGO, has found an echo beyond just the circle of opponents.
Even pro-government journalists, usually reluctant to acknowledge the price hike, joined his call for a boycott.
However, it also attracts criticism. “I don’t think this kind of initiative will change things. I also understand the traders, they have to deal with rising rents,” said Sabit Gul, employed in a pharmaceutical company in Ankara.
“This boycott ultimately serves to exonerate the government and to designate traders as scapegoats,” said Ömer Kuran, a retiree from Ankara who refused to join.
Worshipers queue for a meal distribution from local authorities before the daily breaking of the Muslim fast during Ramadan, in Istanbul on March 15, 2024 (AFP/Yasin AKGUL)
Faced with criticism, Ms. Cibre recalls that she publicly denounced the past monetary policy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Contrary to classic economic theories, the head of state has long defended interest rate cuts even during outbreaks of inflation, causing, according to analysts, a rise in prices and the devaluation of the Turkish lira.
Re-elected in May 2023, he let the central bank raise its main key rate to 50% in March.
“The government’s bad policies have prepared the ground for the opportunism of traders. They abuse the disruption of price perception,” specifies Ms. Cibre.
“We of course do not want them to go bankrupt. We simply want reasonable and ethical prices, which correspond to inflation,” she adds.
© 2024 AFP
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