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| Africa North |
| Algerian bars under pressure |
| 2013-09-11 |
| [MAGHAREBIA] For several days, men have been distributing leaflets and going door to door in Algiers, distributing leaflets and collecting signatures for a petition to close a well-known bar. The "Park Inn" (better known as "Kader's Place") is not the first such establishment to come under fire in the capital city. Other owners of bars and restaurants serving alcohol have shut their doors in the face of pressure from conservative residents. Amid the rise of the Islamists, Algiers Mayor Abdelkrim Bettache has taken steps to reopen those establishments forced to close, including a bar at 90 Boulevard Mohamed V. "Young people protested and planned to close the road. The deputy mayor went there and so did the police," Bettache told Tout sur l'Algérie last Thursday (September 5th). The mayor is advocating dialogue as a means of easing the tensions. "You can't shut a shop, school or anything else by closing roads," he said. "There are regulations, laws and institutions in this country that must be respected." In early summer, Prime Minister Abdelmalik Sellal became indignant at walis for ordering restaurants, bars or cafés to close at 9pm. "These untimely decisions must end. Yes, there are regulations that have to be complied with, but that's all," he told the local governors. "We need to create social interaction," Sellal said at the June meeting. "You have to give people some breathing space. How can you expect there to be security if you oblige restaurants and other places to close? Let people unwind and relax." The premier's statements have done little to allay the fears of bar and nightclub managers. They did not wish to be quoted for fear that someone might come after them. "On the one hand, there is a rise in religious conservatism, and on the other hand, there are Algerians who like to drink. Our establishments are not empty and even if we close our doors, they will go on drinking," the owner of one of the oldest bar-restaurants in Algiers told Magharebia. "During the era of terrorism, coppers encouraged us to stay open until 11pm. It was a form of resistance," he added. There is also a heavy price to be paid for shuttering all the bars, he noted. The closure of these establishments will lead to job losses, a rise in black markets, tax evasion, the emergence of adulterated goods and the accumulation of litter in the city, he said. And according to the Association of Algerian Beverage Producers (APAB), alcohol consumption is not falling. Each year, Algeria consumes some 1.2 million hectolitres of beer, 600,000 hectolitres of wine and 120,000 hectolitres of imported spirits, APAB President Ali Hamani told Magharebia. Nearly 2,000 bars selling alcoholic drinks closed down between 2008 and 2012. "A parallel distribution market has emerged due to the high demand," Hamani claimed. The closure of bars has also given rise to new habits. When night falls, cars can now be seen parked along roads where young people chat over a beer. "We're not doing anyone any harm, we just want to booze with our friends but people make out that we're hooligans," 27-year-old Nazim told Magharebia. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 "Cheers" in Islam - where everybody knows your name, what car you drive, and where you live, Infidel! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2013-09-11 09:30 |
| #1 Don't try to do that with a gay-owned cupcake shoppe here in America... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2013-09-11 08:05 |