Turkish Football fans were urged not to bring politics into the Euro 2024 tournament after supporters in Germany were seen making the controversial grey wolf gesture, with some chanting for expulsion of refugees out of Turkey.
The salute – a raised index and little finger to form a wolf’s head – is associated with Turkey’s far-right grey wolf movement, which has been banned in Austria and France.
Berlin police stopped a march of Turkey football fans ahead of the quarter finals against the Netherlands at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, owing to signs of the symbol there.
Some of the fans were also seen chanting “we don’t want refugees in our country”, at a time when backlash against Syrian refugees in Turkey is at an all-time high, in social media videos.
"During the Turkish fans' march, the 'grey wolves' salute was made en masse. The police therefore stopped the march and urged the fans to stop making this sign," the German capital's police force said on social media site X.
"A fan march is not a platform for political messages," the statement added.
It comes after Turkish player Merih Demiral was banned from two games for showing the grey wolf sign after the team’s victory over Austria on Tuesday.
This triggered a diplomatic row between Berlin and Ankara – and revived debates about the controversial movement’s presence in Germany.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said UEFA's ban on Mr Demiral was "political" and overshadowed the championship.
The Turkish leader cancelled his visit to Azerbaijan and travelled to Berlin on Saturday to watch the quarter-final at the Olympiastadion in the German capital, which tens of thousands of Turks attended.
Germany’s minister of interior Nancy Faeser said Mr Demiral’s gesture had “no place in our stadiums”, accusing him of using the Euro 2024 as a “platform for racism”.
A spokesperson for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) called Ms Faeser’s comments and UEFA’s investigation as “unacceptable”.
The grey wolf movement was labelled a terrorist organisation by the European Parliament in 2021.
Although Germany has not banned the group, the presence of the grey wolf movement among German-Turks there is hotly debated.
German player Mesut Ozil sparked outrage when he shared a photo of Mr Demiral showing the grey wolf sign ahead of the match on Saturday.
Germany's police union (GdP) on Saturday urged Turkey fans to avoid displaying the controversial grey wolf gesture ahead of the match.
"Politics has no place on the football field," GdP chief Jochen Kopelke, who said it was important to examine what conditions would allow for a full ban of the grey wolf sign.
