Ankara protest by miners turns tense
Police use force as unpaid workers clash with authorities
Turkish police used pepper spray and barricades to stop hunger‑striking miners from reaching the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry in Ankara, touching off skirmishes and detentions as the protest escalated. Workers from Doruk Madencilik, who say they have not been paid wages or severance, pressed their eighth day of a hunger strike while a separate group of 57 miners continued a nine‑day march toward the capital. Tensions rose when marchers approached restricted areas near the ministry and police moved to block access; union representative Başaran Aksu, who accused corporate and elite influence over parliament and the judiciary, was detained after addressing the crowd.
Demonstrators briefly pushed through a police cordon at Kurtuluş Park following a second clash before officers re‑encircled the group. Authorities deployed additional units and used crowd‑control measures, including pepper spray, to disperse protesters and prevent entry to government buildings. Reports indicate multiple detentions, though official counts of injuries and arrests have not been confirmed; investigations into the incident are under way.
Union leaders framed the action as a response to long‑running grievances in the mining sector — unpaid wages and severance, unsafe working conditions, and job insecurity — and called attention to broader labor tensions in Türkiye’s high‑risk industries. The confrontation underscores persistent disputes between workers and employers and raises questions about government handling of industrial protests and protections for unpaid and at‑risk laborers.
