A statue with a wolf salute of Turkish football player Demiral

Turkish football player Merih Demiral caused a scandal with a wolf salute, which is linked to a far-right movement in Türkiye. A statue has now been dedicated to him in his hometown by the local nationalist mayor.

Turkish national team player Merih Demiral's celebration of the wolf salute during the European Football Championship caused a huge scandal, but a memorial was dedicated to the player at home. In the city of Bolu, western Turkey, with a population of 180,000 people, a statue of the player wearing the national shirt and performing the wolf salute was inaugurated, as appeared in a video clip of the city’s mayor on the X platform.

Demiral (26 years old) showed the so-called wolf salute after the goal. Then UEFA suspended the player for two matches. The wolf salute usually expresses affiliation or sympathy with the Turkish far-right Ulcucu movement and its ideology. In Türkiye, for example, it is used by the extremist Nationalist Movement Party, a partner in the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The idea behind the statue is the city's mayor, Tangu Ozcan, who is considered a nationalist and has gained national notoriety for his anti-refugee statements. He argued in favor of the statue by saying that it was a “big lie” to say that the wolf salute was a symbol of the MHP and the Gray Wolves. It is a symbol of “Turkishness”. The city mayor explained that Demiral had previously approved this measure. (APA/DPA)