Provocative Erdogan statue erected for German art festival

Associated Press
Police and passersby surround a statue showing Turkish President Erdogan which is part of the art festival 'Wiesbaden Biennale' in Wiesbaden, western Germany, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018. (Arne Dedert/dpa via AP)

BERLIN (AP) — A golden effigy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan evoking the famous statue of Saddam Hussein has been erected in a central German city as part of an art festival whose motto is "bad news."

The larger-than-life statue in the central German city of Wiesbaden depicts Erdogan with a raised right arm, a pose reminiscent of the iconic statue of the former Iraqi dictator that was famously torn down in 2003 by American military forces during the Iraq invasion.

The local Wiesbadener Kurier reported the statue was put up in the city's downtown area Monday. City authorities had authorized the statue as part of the ongoing Wiesbaden Biennale art festival, but didn't know Erdogan would be the person depicted, the newspaper reported.

Festival organizers were not immediately available for comment.

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