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Meet the Turkish barber trying to change Nigel Farage's mind

In April of last year, the Reform UK leader told LBC's Nick Ferrari that the shops had "no customers", were "cash only" and featured a "Lambourghini out the back".

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A Turkish barber in Glasgow has decorated the front of his shop with pictures of the Reform UK leader with 13 different hairstyles, including 'curtains', an afro, short back and sides and a mullet.
A Turkish barber in Glasgow has decorated the front of his shop with pictures of the Reform UK leader with 13 different hairstyles, including 'curtains', an afro, short back and sides and a mullet. Picture: Global
Henry Riley

By Henry Riley

A Turkish barber in Glasgow has decorated the front of his shop with pictures of the Reform UK leader with 13 different hairstyles, including 'curtains', an afro, short back and sides and a mullet.

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Ali Ghasr has been cutting hair for all of his adult life, and his establishment of 'G11 Turkish Barbers' in Partick, Glasgow is now at the centre of a stunt after pushing back against Nigel Farage's "shocking" comments about his sector.

In April of last year, the Reform UK leader told LBC's Nick Ferrari that the shops had "no customers", were "cash only" and featured a "Lambourghini out the back".

Mr Farage said he was "banging on" about this because it had been "going on for years".

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Ali hit back and claimed that the way Nigel Farage spoke about Turkish barbers "was damaging" and "putting down" the sector.

This led the barber to accept an invitation from artist The Rebel Bear in an attempt to give the MP pause for thought.

A Turkish barber in Glasgow has decorated the front of his shop with pictures of the Reform UK leader with 13 different hairstyles, including 'curtains', an afro, short back and sides and a mullet.
A Turkish barber in Glasgow has decorated the front of his shop with pictures of the Reform UK leader with 13 different hairstyles, including 'curtains', an afro, short back and sides and a mullet. Picture: Global

G11 Turkish Barbers is located in Scotland's most populous city, Glasgow, the centre of key Holyrood elections scheduled to take place in May. The shop now has the Reform UK leader with 13 different hairstyles plastered on the front window, as well as inside.

The hairdresser told LBC "it was kind of unfair to see all of the Turkish barbers in one way and say they are scams, and don't pay taxes".

"It is not true, I accept card. We are very popular. I'm not sure why he picked on us".

He added that he was "trying to change his [Farage's] mind about Turkish barbers", and conceded that he didn't "really know" why the Clacton MP had made the comments in the first place.

The stylist admitted that the publicity stunt had worked, saying his shop was "now like a museum", with locals "coming in and taking pictures".

In recent months, Labour MPs have been warned that they were not welcome in pubs, and were also barred from a few hairdressers due to taxes on the sector.

However, Mr Ghasr maintained that Nigel Farage was "of course" welcome to pop in for a haircut.