Miners’ resistance hits front page of humor magazine: ‘Courage is contagious’

Click to read the article in Turkish

The miners of Soma Uyar Mining Company were taken into custody in Salihli district in Manisa when they were trying to march from Turkey's Aegean province of Manisa to the capital city of Ankara because they have not been paid their compensation for eight years.

This week, Turkey's one of the most well-known humor magazines LeMan has addressed the miners' resistance on its front page.

The words of Independent Mine Workers Union (Bağımsız Maden-İş) Organization Expert Kamil Kartal in a speech that is also widely shared on social media have hit the front page of the magazine.

"Attention: Courage is contagious," the headline of the magazine has read, sharing some excerpts from Kamil Kartal's speech amid the blockade of security forces trying to prevent their march, which has especially become viral with his question, "Is that so, the regiment commander?"

"The state unable to call a trifling boss to account...will measure its strength against us, is that so? Is that so, the regiment commander?

"Now, you will show us force and we will get afraid of it, is that so?

"I swear that we are not afraid of you!"

Kartal also said the following in his speech in Salihli:

As if we were guilty, as if we were the ones who stole, who did this ignominy and shamelessness, they are trying to make us pay for it. In other words, those who cannot call the ones who have to pay for this to account are now trying to do it to us. In fact, everyone knows our righteousness. Not strong enough to confront an employer, a single man, the state is now measuring its strength against us. We are once again calling out from here. Don't measure the strength of the state against us! Don't measure your strength against the ones who had to survive deep under the ground with their elbow grease and who lost their sight, who were disabled and whose lungs were rotten as a result!

"Korkmuyoruz!"
SOMALI MADENCİLER GÖZALTINA ALINDI
Soma Uyar Madencilik işçileri Ankara yürüyüşü sırasında Salihli'de jandarma tarafında gözaltına alındı!#MadenciyleYürü #SınıfDayanışması pic.twitter.com/buV59FLzFI

— BSMTV (@BSMTV_TR) October 17, 2020

(HA/SD)