Wolf salute at Turkey's European Championship match: calls for bans and more dialog
The match was shadowed by security concerns and diplomatic tensions between Berlin and Ankara prior to the Wolfsgruß debate regarding Turkish defender Merih Demiral. He was suspended for the quarterfinal against the Netherlands on Saturday due to his displaying of the gesture after scoring his second goal against Austria.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had made a last-minute trip to Berlin for the EURO match, criticized the suspension again. "This is a purely political decision," he said according to the official Anadolu news agency during his return flight from Berlin.
The police had already stopped the fan march of Turkish supporters from Berlin's Breitscheidplatz to the stadium before the game. Law enforcement halted the Turkish fans' march initially due to the "massive" display of the Wolfsgruß sign, later interrupting it again, and eventually ending it.
Green party interior politician Konstantin von Notz commented on the situation to the AFP news agency on Sunday, stating, "I find it unbearable that right-nationalist events are made from sports events like the EURO." He believed, "This has not been lost in football and liberal democratic societies."
The German parliament had already called on the Federal Ministry of the Interior at the end of 2020 to examine a ban on the Grey Wolves. "This is absolutely right," said von Notz. "The underlying questions have become more pressing."
The chairman of the Kurdish community, Ali Ertan Toprak, demanded a ban on the Grey Wolves. He expected from Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) "that the Grey Wolves and their symbols be banned in Germany," said Toprak on Saturday in Deutschlandfunk. However, the German government apparently does not do this because they "don't want to anger the Turks."
The Federal Ministry stated on Saturday to AFP inquiry that it "cannot express itself regarding potential ban procedures in order not to endanger possible future measures." According to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, there are approximately 12,500 Grey Wolves supporters in Germany. The largest organization is the Federation of Turkish-Democratic Idealist Associations in Germany e.V., which is considered an offshoot of the pro-Erdogan party MHP.
SPD Bundestag deputy Macit Karaahmetoglu commented on the situation to the AFP news agency on Sunday, stating, "It's important that one engages in dialogue with people and explains that there's no sense in showing gestures like the Wolfsgruß to provoke." He added, "This harms the German-Turkish friendship."
Karaahmetoglu advocated for more dialogue: "What's important is that one engages in dialogue with people and explains that there's no sense in showing gestures like the Wolfsgruß to provoke," said the Turkish-born deputy. "This harms the German-Turkish friendship."
- The football match between Turkey and the Netherlands at the European Championship was marked by significant security concerns and diplomatic tensions between Berlin and Ankara.
- The Turkish defender Merih Demiral was suspended for the quarterfinal due to his display of the Wolfsgruß gesture after scoring against Austria.
- Ali Ertan Toprak, the chairman of the Kurdish community, demanded a ban on the Grey Wolves following the incident involving Merih Demiral.
- Konstantin von Notz, a Green party interior politician, expressed concern over the politicization of sports events like the EURO.
- Erdogan, the Turkish President, criticized the suspension of Merih Demiral as a political decision, accusing Germany of being biased.
- The police in Berlin stopped the fan march of Turkish supporters due to the large-scale display of the Wolfsgruß sign, a gesture associated with the Grey Wolves.
- The Federation of Turkish-Democratic Idealist Associations in Germany, a pro-Erdogan party, is one of the largest organizations with Grey Wolves supporters in Germany.
- SPD Bundestag deputy Macit Karaahmetoglu called for dialogue, suggesting that showing provocative gestures like the Wolfsgruß harms the German-Turkish friendship.
- The Federal Ministry of the Interior in Germany stated they cannot express themselves on potential ban procedures due to the sensitivity of the issue.
- The Grey Wolves, a far-right Turkish nationalist organization, have approximately 12,500 supporters in Germany, according to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
- The incident surrounding Merih Demiral and the Wolfsgruß gesture sparked calls for a ban on the Grey Wolves in the German parliament at the end of 2020.
- The European Championship match between Turkey and the Netherlands was shadowed by the Turkey-Germany diplomatic tension, including the controversy over the Wolfsgruß gesture.
