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HABAŞ factory workers protest phone ban after deadly explosion in İzmir

Aliaga, İzmir Province, Turkey · Nov 13, 2026

Is it still on?

YESHappening today, Nov 13.

Last report · checked

Summary in three lines

Why they are protesting
Workers at the HABAŞ iron and steel factory protested after management banned mobile phones inside following a deadly explosion.
What they want
Workers demanded the removal of the cell phone ban and refused to hand over their phones at security checkpoints.
What changed
Nov 13: More than 20 workers were detained by gendarmerie and police forces during the demonstration outside the factory gates.
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Both sides

What protesters want

  • Revoke the mobile phone ban
  • Allow entry to the factory without surrendering personal phones

Organised by: Türk Metal

What authorities say

According to BirGün, police and gendarmerie intervened at the factory gates, closing off access to the area and detaining more than 20 workers who resisted the measures.2

The numbers

Only figures a source states, with who said it. Estimates often differ.

Arrests / detentions
20
20'den fazla işçi jandarma müdahalesiyle gözaltına alındı2

The full story

Workers at the HABAŞ Demir Çelik Factory in Aliağa, İzmir Province, launched a protest on November 13, 2026, after management instituted a ban on mobile phones following a deadly explosion that claimed numerous lives. According to news reports, the instruction to confiscate phones at security checkpoints came from the company's board chairman, who is currently under house arrest amid an investigation into the disaster. Employees refusing to surrender their devices were barred from turning the turnstiles to enter their shift, prompting them to gather at the gates in opposition. Security forces and gendarmerie intervened, blocking access to the area and detaining over 20 workers.

Timeline

  1. Security forces closed off the factory surroundings and more than 20 workers were detained during interventions.2

  2. HABAŞ factory workers started a protest at the gates after being ordered to leave their mobile phones at security.1234

Pins sit on city centres, never on gathering points

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