Turkish Olympian's iconic shooting style inspires activism against Gaza massacres

By Salih Okuroglu

The viral pose of Turkish silver medalist Yusuf Dikec, who became a worldwide sensation at the 2024 Paris Olympics for his distinctive shooting style, has also become an expression of “creative extremism,” drawing attention to Israel's ongoing massacres in Gaza.

As Israel’s attacks draw worldwide condemnation, art has played a significant role in raising awareness of the relentless air and ground assault.

The shooting style of Dikec has become the subject of drawings and animations. In a visual that attracted attention on social media, Dikec is depicted shooting at the Olympics alongside Kim Ye-ji from South Korea, who also won a silver medal in the women's 10m air pistol category, and an Israeli soldier.

In the part of the image featuring Dikec and Kim, the shooters are shown hitting their targets, while the audience cheers and waves their national flags in celebration.

The Israeli soldier, meanwhile, instead of hitting the target board, is shown shooting at the people in the stands behind, and even at a cat, drawing attention to Israel’s actions in the Palestinian enclave, which have claimed some 40,000 Palestinian lives, most of them being women and children.

Another example of "creative extremism" that gained attention online is an animation of Dikec giving shooting lessons to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Dikec tells Netanyahu to hit only the armed and dangerous individuals on the target, and avoid aiming at civilians.

But Netanyahu fires his pistol at both an armed individual and a civilian talking on the phone beside him.

When Dikec reminds him that the person on the phone was a civilian, Netanyahu argues that the person could be a spy. Dikec then asks Netanyahu to only target those holding weapons.

In the next target, there is a man holding a weapon, along with a woman and a baby. Once again, Netanyahu shoots indiscriminately.

When Dikec points out that the woman and the baby were hit, the Israeli prime minister defends himself by saying he thought the woman was the "wife of a bad guy" and that the baby might want revenge when he grows up, saying: “They always do this.”

The term "creative extremism" involves pushing the boundaries of artistic expression and action, often with radical and provocative approaches. It is the use of art as a tool for social change and raising awareness, going beyond merely being an aesthetic experience.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz