Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan erected a statue of Merih Demiral.

After scoring goals against Austria in the 2024 European Championship, national football player Merih Demiral, who made the "Bozkurt" sign and received a 2-match ban from UEFA for using a political symbol, had a statue erected of him making the "Bozkurt" sign.

TANJU ÖZCAN KEPT HIS PROMISE

After the announcement of the penalty to the public, Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan had stated that he would erect a statue of Merih Demiral in the city. The statue of Merih Demiral making the 'Bozkurt' sign was erected at a new intersection in the Karaçayır neighborhood.

"WE GOT PERMISSION FROM MERİH DEMİRAL"

The statue was inaugurated in a ceremony. Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan, along with guests and citizens, attended the opening. Özcan, who inaugurated the statue, stated that they kept their promise, saying, "We got permission from Merih Demiral. We said we would make a statue of our brother Merih Demiral. Then I spoke with him. It is necessary to get consent from the living. He shared with us that he heard about my post, was very happy, and would be happy."

Özcan, stating that the Bozkurt movement is unique to Turks, said, "A Spanish footballer scores a goal and makes a bull sign, and there is no penalty for that. Because the bull is a symbol of the Spaniards. The symbol of the Turkish world is the Bozkurt. Why are you penalizing a footballer who makes this gesture? Why is the government indifferent to this? I find it hard to understand. Moreover, the Bozkurt gesture is not a symbol of the MHP or nationalists. This is a big lie. This symbol has been used for hundreds of years by Turkish republics in Central Asia, by Turks in Albania, Bulgaria, Iranian Turks, and Azerbaijani Turks," he said. "We are not ethnically nationalist; we are nationalists of a higher identity. My brother Merih Demiral will also remove this gesture from being a political movement of a party. I repeat, the Bozkurt symbol is the symbol of the Turkish world. I cannot digest any party trying to accept or claim this. I do not want anyone to digest it either."