After the explosion in HABAŞ, they said 'Let's not call this fate anymore' and were taken into custody

In the explosion that occurred at the HABAŞ Iron and Steel Factory in Aliağa, Izmir, 17 workers lost their lives and 13 workers were injured, 2 of them seriously. After the explosion, Aegean Workers' Union spokespersons Yücel Memiş and Sonay Tezcan, who went to the hospital to support the workers' relatives and made a speech in front of the hospital, were detained.

Yücel Memiş used the following statements in his speech in front of the hospital after the explosion in the factory, in which many workers lost their lives:

"This is the 6th worker in this pool this year. If these barricades were erected in front of these bosses, if these police officers took the arms of these bosses today. Do we have to experience this pain? 12 hours, 16 hours, 17 hours, 20 hours every day, that's enough! We are dying to make it to the end of the month. God damn it. The end of the month is not coming. It is not enough for the rent, not enough for shopping, not enough for the family, not enough for the children. Doyuramıyoruz bunları. Ya kendimiz için ya. Biraz insan gibi yaşamak istiyoruz, gibi insan gibi. Milyarlarca dolar kar ediyorsunuz, her ay dünyayı kazanıyorlar. Yeter, 20 yaşında ya. Eyüp Eğinli, 20 yaşında 5 Kasım'da öldü. Dedik ki önlem alın. Ya başka ocaklar yanmasın, başka insanlar ölmesin. Başka analar ağlamasın. Başka eşler kocasız kalmasın. Ya şu gözyaşımız akmasın. Ya yeter arkadaşlar. Ya artık buna 'kader' Let's not say, we are workers who work 12-16 hours and cannot make it to the end of the month. We call it a precaution, a precaution."

"LET'S NOT CALL THIS FATE ANYMORE"

Memiş said, "We don't know how many dead there are today, I hope it will be less. But today, they are building a steel mill in Habaş. All of these are on the blood of workers and laborers. Friends, please, please, let's not call this fate anymore. Let's not accept it." Memiş continued his words as follows:

"Look, I'm telling you again, this one was the police, that one was the military. Put these barricades in front of this capital in one day. Someone should tell these bosses to stop. These laws should apply not only to us, but also to them. The dead should not remain as they are, they should be held accountable. So, let's not keep our heads down behind this pain, friends. If you have children, if they are working, if they are working at 4 in the morning. Put down this switch, put this switch down now. As this switch turns, this forehead will turn." teri aktıkça, giden bizim canımız, giden bizim yarınımız, giden bizim geleceğimiz. Hepimiz birbirimizden habersiz yaşıyoruz. Gemi sökümde 10 senede 96 kişi ölmüş ya. 96 kişi. 96 eş, 96 çocuk. Ufacık bir sayı bunlar için para para para para. Gözünüz çıksın, lanet olsun hepinize. Vallahi lanet olsun. Yani acınızı anlıyorum, acınızı anlıyorum ama. Biz artık burada toplanmayalım. İçeride acı haber alacağız diye beklemeyelim. Bu iş "Accidents can be prevented, let's prevent them before they happen. Let's not accept it. Let's not be silent. Let's embrace it so that there will be no more deaths and no more mothers will cry."

THEY WERE TAKEN INTO CUSTODY

After this speech, Tezcan and Memiş were detained by the police. Relatives of the workers in the area reacted to the police during the detention. It was stated that Tezcan and Memiş were detained on the grounds of "inciting the public to hatred and hostility".

Aegean Workers' Union announced that detained spokespersons Yücel Memiş and Sonay Tezcan were later released.