A battle of words between Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu and opposition Victory Party (Zafer Partisi) leader Ümit Özdağ over migrants in Turkey has evolved into a standoff, with the far-right politician challenging the interior minister to a fight in front of the ministry.
Özdağ is known for his staunch anti-migrant ideologies and frequently criticizes the government for opening doors to migrants. Turkey hosts more Syrian migrants than any other country in the world. The number of migrants in Turkey is about 5 million, including 3.8 million Syrians.
Özdağ has claimed responsibility for a recent video circulated on social media titled "Silent Invasion" that portrayed a dystopic future Turkey to manipulate the masses against migrants. The politician admitted to financing the video.
In response, Soylu described the video as a "Soros tactic" in a televised interview on Thursday. After Soylu made the comment, Özdağ sent in a reply to the broadcast. However, Soylu did not give the presenter permission to read the response, claiming that Özdağ's words do not dignify attention.
"I do not consider him as a man. I will not accept it; if you read this, I will leave the studio. I will not put this man in the place of a man and a human. This is a man lower than an animal," the interior minister said.
On Özdağ, Soylu said: "He is trying to take the place of the man. He is a child of Soros and a child of the operation. It is obvious that he is an intelligence officer."
Retorting back, Özdağ on Thursday posted a message on his Twitter account announcing that he would go to the Interior Ministry on Friday.
Addressing Minister Soylu by his first name, Özdağ said that he would be at the ministry at 11 a.m., "alone and unarmed."
"If you have the least bit of courage, wait for me at the ministry gate without hiding behind the honorable Turkish Police," Özdağ said, inviting Soylu to duel.
"If you don't dare to face me tomorrow, I'll find you elsewhere," he warned.
Despite his challenge going unanswered, Özdağ showed up at the ministry on Friday where he was blocked by security forces.
Amid discussions over the future of nearly 5 million migrants, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Tuesday that Turkey is planning a new project that will facilitate the voluntary return of 1 million Syrian refugees to their country.
