Dear friends, neighbours, and supporters,

On behalf of Ahmet and Sahin Gok, The Big Retort would like to highlight their story.

Ahmet and Sahin Gok are brothers, restaurateurs, and proud members of the Lewisham community. For more than 20 years, they have run Meze Mangal, their family restaurant at 245 Lewisham Way. Many people have dined with them, celebrated with them, and shared memories under their roof. Meze Mangal has always been more than a restaurant – it is a home for their family and a hub for the community.

Today, however, they face the fight of their lives.

What Happened

It all began with a complaint from a neighbour about cooking odours and noise from the kitchen. As anyone who knows the Gok brothers will tell you, they take their responsibility to their neighbours very seriously. The last thing they ever wanted was to cause disturbance to the community they love and serve.

So, they did what they thought was right: they invested heavily to fix the problem. In fact, they spent just under £50,000 on a new extraction system – a huge amount for a family-run restaurant like theirs. The system worked. It alleviated the complaints and solved the issue.

But because the restaurant is in a conservation area, installing such equipment required additional planning permissions. They applied, but their application was refused.

At that point, they made what they thought was the right choice: they left the extractor in place. They believed it was more important to keep peace with their neighbours and maintain the restaurant’s reputation than to follow what felt like an unreasonable decision. They never imagined this would become the biggest mistake of their lives.

Instead of working with them, Lewisham Council escalated matters in the most extreme way possible. What should have been a simple planning issue has now been turned into a criminal prosecution under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) – a law created to target serious organised crime.

The irony is not lost on them: many Lewisham councillors, staff, and even the Mayor herself have regularly eaten, drunk, and held events at Meze Mangal. The restaurant has been a gathering place for the very same council that is now trying to destroy it.

Now, that same council is demanding an unbelievable £2.5 million confiscation order in so-called “criminal profits.” For an extractor fan. For a restaurant that has served this community for over two decades.

What This Means for Them

Ahmet and Sahin are both over 50, approaching 60 years old, and instead of looking to the future with their families, they are facing ruin.

During the drawn-out court process, their mother and father – both in their early 80s – sadly passed away. Due to the council’s prosecutor, the judge was led to believe that they were flight risks, resulting in the seizure of their passports.

Their business bank account has been frozen, choking their ability to operate and putting their staff’s jobs at risk.

After surviving the pandemic, navigating Brexit, and coping with skyrocketing costs, this case is now pushing them to the brink of shutting down permanently.

Why They Need Help

• They are not asking for charity.

• They are asking for fairness and the means to fight an absurd case in court.

The hospitality industry has been struggling since COVID. Running a restaurant has never been harder, with rising costs and falling margins. Now, on top of everything, they are being dragged through a legal nightmare that could destroy them completely.

Without help, they cannot afford to keep fighting. Without fighting, they cannot survive.

This fundraiser is simply to give them the chance to:

Cover urgent legal expenses to challenge the POCA claim.

Keep Meze Mangal alive and protect their staff’s jobs.

Defend their right, as British citizens and immigrants, to live and work with dignity, without being treated like criminals.

But more than money, what Ahmet and Sahin truly need is a community that will stand up and pressure Lewisham Council to drop its POCA claim. Public awareness, collective outrage, and united voices can make a real difference.

They need the people who have supported Meze Mangal for decades to help ensure justice is done — by speaking out, contacting local representatives, and demanding fairness.

A recent example proves that community power works: K J Building Supplies faced similar treatment when the Council took them to court over a simple shipping container and tried to pursue POCA charges. But once the public got involved and pressure mounted, the Council dropped the case. Your could read more here

The same can happen here — if the community stands together, the Council can be persuaded to withdraw this unjust POCA claim against Meze Mangal.

How You Can Help

• Donate what you can – every contribution, big or small, makes a difference.

• Share this page with your networks, friends, and on social media.

• Contact your local councillors and MP. Urge them to intervene and to call for the Council to drop the POCA claim.

• Stand with Ahmet and Sahin against the unfair and disproportionate use of the law.

• To everyone who has spoken out, written letters, shared posts, attended meetings, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Ahmet and Sahin — thank you. Your support has shown what true community looks like: people coming together to defend fairness, dignity, and common sense.

What began as two brothers fighting a quiet, lonely battle has now become a united movement for justice. Every voice raised, every show of solidarity, and every act of compassion adds pressure on Lewisham Council to do what is right. This has never been about sympathy — it’s about standing up for principle, for community, and for the values we all share.

Because of you, Ahmet and Sahin now know they are not alone. The tide is turning, and together, we are showing that when a community stands as one, it cannot be ignored.

With heartfelt thanks and solidarity,

— The Big Retort, on behalf of Ahmet and Sahin Gok.