A local politician is demanding these weird statues put up in a newly-built park in honour of COVID-19 frontline healthcare workers be removed after saying they were so bad they would even frighten children.

The statues have been installed at the new park in the district of Merkezefendi in the south-western Turkish province of Denizli which was recently completed and is due soon to be opened to the public.

The new park has a health theme and statues honouring the country’s healthcare heroes, who fought to save lives or succumbed themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic, were installed in the 9,600-square-metre area, boasting playgrounds, jogging paths, and fitness equipment, according to the news site Haberler.

However, Yavuz Aki, councillor for the Merkezefendi Municipality Council and deputy chairman of the Justice and Development Party (AK Parti), said: “Our children may see these statues and be scared!

“We think these monuments do not fit here and we want them removed from the park, which has not opened yet.”

He added: “We think none of the works reflect the compassion, care and loyal service of our healthcare workers.”

Merkezefendi deputy mayor Fatih Coskun defended the monuments, saying: “The health park was built to honour healthcare professionals. The statues in the park were meant to show the bravery and dedication of our healthcare workers to the world.

“The monuments were designed by our own staff of our municipality. They should not be judged as works of art, they were only made out of respect.

“There was no bad intention here and others should not look for one.”