Erdogan lands in Berlin shortly before kick-off
When the evening EM-quarterfinal match between Turkey and the Netherlands begins at the Olympiastadion, sports momentarily take a back seat. Turkish fans are called upon to make a right-wing extremist gesture. Is Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan supporting them?
The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is reportedly planning to make his visit to Germany for the EM-quarterfinal between Turkey and the Netherlands as brief as possible. The president will arrive just before the football game and leave the same evening, according to Erdogan's office. No further engagements in Germany have been planned. The match at the Olympiastadion is scheduled to start at 21:00 hours (ntv.de-Liveticker and RTL).
The Turkish President has reportedly decided to attend the Viertelfinal in Berlin due to the debate surrounding the so-called Wolf's Salute. Erdogan has not yet commented on the two-match ban imposed on Turkish national player Merih Demiral by UEFA for this gesture.
Demiral displayed the Wolf's Salute during the EM-round of 16 against Austria. This gesture generally symbolizes loyalty or sympathy with the right-wing extremist Turkish movement Grey Wolves and their ideology, the so-called Grey Wolves. In Turkey, this gesture is used by the ultranationalist party MHP, which is a coalition partner of Erdogan. In a conversation with ntv, journalist and author Eren Guvercin explained that the Grey Wolves have already committed pogroms against Alevites, Syrian refugees, and other minorities in Turkey using the Wolf's Salute.
In Germany, the Grey Wolves have approximately 18,500 members. The organization is the largest right-wing extremist group here. The movement is not banned but is monitored by the Constitutional Protection Agency.
"Unacceptable, illegal, and political"
Erdogan criticized the Wolf's Salute but Demiral reportedly only wanted to express his "excitement" over his goal. The Turkish government accuses Germany of xenophobia. The UEFA's decision to ban Demiral was described as a "scandal" in Turkish television. The president of the Turkish Football Association, Mehmet Buyukeksi, called it "unacceptable, illegal, and political." Turkish football ultras called on fans attending today's quarterfinal in the Berlin Olympiastadion to also display the Wolf's Salute.
The Kurdish community in Germany advises the German government to ban the Grey Wolves in Germany. The chairman of the Kurdish community, Ali Ertan Toprak, told Deutschlandfunk that he expected "the Grey Wolves and their symbols to be banned in Germany," but the German government apparently does not do so because it "does not want to provoke Turkey."
- Despite the controversy surrounding the Wolf's Salute and the subsequent two-match ban imposed on Turkish national player Merih Demiral by UEFA, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has decided to attend the European Football Championship 2024 quarterfinal match between Turkey and the Netherlands.
- The Wolf's Salute, a gesture generally associated with right-wing extremist Turkish movement Grey Wolves, has been criticized by Erdogan as "unacceptable, illegal, and political," but Turkish football ultras are urging fans to display it during the quarterfinal match in Berlin.
- The German government's inaction on banning the Grey Wolves in Germany, despite having over 18,500 members and being the largest right-wing extremist group, has drawn criticism from the Kurdish community, with their chairman, Ali Ertan Toprak, stating that it's due to a fear of provoking Turkey.
