Following the fantastically brave defence he put up against a drunken mob that attacked his Kebab house on April 25 Bank Holiday morning, Kurdish restaurateur Mustapha Kartal has seen all the good that can come from the people of Portugal.
Jettisoned to social media fame by a horror (click here), he is now reaping the benefits: his business has so many clients, he is even considering hiring more staff at his Palácio de Kebab, in Cais de Sodré.
Among all the backslapping and encouragement given since the outrage, there have even been offers by young people to work for nothing – but as the delighted immigrant from Turkey has told journalists: “I can pay! I have so many more clients, thanks to God.”
According to Diário de Notícias, Kartal’s clientele has grown by 60%. But that’s not all the ‘good news’.
The real cherry in this story is that at last Kartal may get to be reunited with his family: a wife and two young children effectively stuck in Istanbul while he goes through the process of residency authorisation.
In fact, Kartal has told reporters that if he left Portugal of his own volition to have the holiday which he said after the attack that he so desperately needed, his whole file would revert to ‘first base’ again.
He might even find it impossible to re-enter the country – hence his reluctance to leave. But with so many articles now attesting to his bravery and popularity, it may be that this situation will change.
DN has been in touch with SEF border control agency which confirms Kartal is “in the process of waiting for Authorisation of Residency”.
Once that arrives, there will be nothing more standing in the way of that family reunion.
