When most Germans think of right-wing extremism, they imagine violent neo-Nazis who hate foreigners. Few citizens are likely aware that a significant right-wing extremist movement is rooted in foreign communities—partly because it’s unexpected and has been discussed relatively little so far.
With around 12,500 followers, the Grey Wolves are one of the largest right-wing extremist groups in Germany. A new study warns that they pose a threat not only to the Kurdish minority in Germany but also to Jews and Alevis.
According to Germany’s domestic intelligence service, the Grey Wolves are characterized by an “extremely nationalist to right-wing extremist ideology.” This ideology also includes racism, anti-Semitism, and an exaltation of Turkish identity. In its report, the domestic intelligence service writes that the Grey Wolves’ ideal is a Turkish-led, “ethnically homogeneous state” named “Tura,” whose territory would stretch from the Balkans to western China.
The Grey Wolves came into the spotlight once again after the Turkish national team’s match against Austria at the European Football Championship in Germany. Turkish player Merih Demiral made the so-called wolf salute with his fingers, a gesture that resembles the outline of a wolf’s skull. The European football association subsequently suspended him for two games. During the quarterfinal match between Turkey and the Netherlands in Berlin, hundreds of Turkish fans made the wolf salute.
This gesture is the group’s identifying symbol. Anyone who speaks out against the group must endure harsh criticism and sometimes even more. For instance, the Kurdish-Yezidi journalist Düzen Tekkal reported receiving death threats after she publicly condemned the salute.
In Germany, most Grey Wolves are members of three organizations, all of which were mentioned in the 2023 domestic intelligence report. One of these associations is the Federation of Turkish-Democratic Idealist Associations in Germany, or ADÜTDF for short. According to the report, it represents the interests of the ultranationalist Turkish party MHP, which is in coalition with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP.
Noteworthy is the role of the organization Union of Turkish-Islamic Cultural Associations in Europe, or Atib. It is a founding member of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany and holds a board member position there. The Central Council is part of the German Islam Conference, a body that discusses the integration of Muslims in Germany under the aegis of the Interior Ministry, a task that has been challenging at times.
According to domestic intelligence, Atib is “pro-Palestinian.” However, the third organization of the Grey Wolves in Germany, the Federation of World Order in Europe (ANF), is clearly anti-Semitic. Its chairman wrote on the day of Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel last year, asking God to grant victory to his “Palestinian brothers.”
It doesn’t always stop at rhetoric: In 2020, a Turk in Dortmund killed a Kurd, with the perpetrator having displayed the wolf salute on his social media profile.
Following the scandal over the salute, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that the symbols of Turkish right-wing extremists have no place in stadiums and that the tournament must not serve as a platform for racism. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock summoned the Turkish ambassador over the issue.
In France, the Grey Wolves are banned, and in Austria, their salute is at least illegal. The German parliament voted in 2020 to consider a ban on the Grey Wolves. Last year, several members of parliament from different parties renewed this call. The matter falls under the jurisdiction of the Interior Ministry. However, the issue does not seem to have a high priority there.
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