Controversial wolf greeting: Turkish fans in Berlin are causing a sensation

Controversial wolf greeting: Turkish fans in Berlin are causing a sensation

police in Berlin interrupts Turkish fan march before EM quarter-finals

On the eve of the excited EM quarter-final in Berlin, a Turkish fan march was stopped by the police. The reason: the fans showed the controversial "wolf greeting", a gesture with political importance that had previously caused a sensation.

In the process, emergency services initially asked the fans to refrain from this political message, since a Fanvastwork does not represent a reasonable platform for this. When the requests were ignored, the police were forced to end the march prematurely.

The presence of Turkish President Erdogan was also expected to play in the capital, which further tightened the tensions about the topic. The goal celebration affair around the Turkish international Merih Demiral had already led to diplomatic moods between Berlin and Ankara.

The Kurdish community in Germany expressed concern that Erdogan could also show the controversial gesture of the "gray wolves" during the game. The federal chairman Toprak therefore called for a quick ban on the right-wing extremist "ülkücü" movement in Germany, which is behind the controversial hand gaps.

The UEFA had closed Demiral for two games after his wolf greeting goal in the round of 16, which continued to fuel the discussion about political gestures in sports.

The interruption of the fan march and the explosive political symbolism illustrate how sport and politics are closely linked in a festival like the European Championship. The incidents around the wolf greeting make a highlight of the profound social conflicts, which are also visible in the context of football.

The news was sent on Deutschlandfunk on July 6th, 2024.

- Nag