‘We’re Somalis, We Don’t Pay’: Migrants Smash Bistro with Iron Bars

The owner of a pub and bistro was fearing for his life when Somali migrants smashed the door and windows of his business after they refused to pay the bill.

The group of five migrants sat drinking in the Piano bistro in Waburn, Germany, on Wednesday evening, putting everything on a tab. When presented with a €17 bill for the eight beers and two vodkas they had consumed, the men became aggressive.

“We are Somalis, we do not pay” they said, as two of the men stormed out of the establishment. Owner Selami Albayrak kicked out the remaining three Somalis, who still refused to settle the bill, and told them the group are banned from the premises.

“They were aggressive, they were angry”, Albayrak told local newspaper HNA, recounting that he locked the door of the pub behind him.

A short time later, while preparing the bill for his last customer that night, a regular, Albayrak heard loud banging and crashing noises. As he walked through to the main area of the pub, the 58 year old saw that two of the Somalis had come back with iron bars, which they were using to repeatedly smash against the bistro’s door and windows.

“I had a panic [attack] that nearly killed me”, Albayrak recalled. The veteran innkeeper revealed he had never been so afraid for his life in all the 15 years he has been running the “Piano”.

Panic stricken, Albayrak called the police at 2.16 in the morning for help, but it was 30 minutes before they arrived. Describing the half hour wait as terrifying, the pub owner said: “I was afraid. I was trembling. I would have been glad if the police had come earlier.”

Left with €3,000 in damage by the attack on his business, Albayrak said he was disappointed with the advice officers gave when asked what one could do to avoid similar situations in future.

The only suggestion police had was that the pub could hire a security guard in future, which prompted the innkeeper to note he runs “a pub, and not a disco”. The Somalis fled when officers arrived, and so far police have been unable to track down the men.