Shot ÖFB team out of European Championship
Despite scandal & ban: wolf salute statue for Demiral
Turkish international Merih Demiral's wolf salute during the European Football Championship caused a major scandal, but a monument has been dedicated to the player in his home country.
In Bolu, a city of 180,000 inhabitants in western Turkey, a statue of the player in the national jersey and giving the wolf salute was unveiled, as can be seen in a video posted by the city's mayor on the X platform.
Right-wing extremist hand gesture
Demiral (26) had shown the so-called wolf salute after scoring a goal. UEFA subsequently banned the player for two matches. The wolf salute usually expresses affiliation or sympathy with the Turkish far-right Ülkücü movement and its ideology. In Turkey, for example, it is used by the ultra-nationalist MHP party, which is a partner of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The initiator of the statue is Mayor Tanju Özcan, who is considered a nationalist and has gained nationwide recognition for his anti-refugee statements. He argued in favor of the statue by saying that it was "a big lie" that the wolf salute was a symbol of the MHP and the Grey Wolves. Rather, it was a symbol of "Turkishness". Demiral had agreed to the action in advance, the mayor explained.
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