2024-07-07 03:07:11
Berlin police have stopped a march by Turkish fans ahead of the quarter-final match of the European Football Championship between Turkey and the Netherlands after the fans made what authorities claim was a “nationalist” gesture.
“During the fan march, Turkish fans showed the “Grey Wolves” sign en masse. Therefore, police officers stopped the march and asked the fans to refrain from showing this sign. The fan march is not a platform for political messages,” the local police said in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Earlier, the Union of European Football Associations disqualified Turkish defender Merih Demiral for two matches of the European Championship. Before that, the Turkish national team beat the Austrian team 2:1 in the 1/8 final match of the European Championship in Germany. Demiral scored a double. After the second goal, the player showed the “Grey Wolves” gesture.
On July 3, CNN TÜRK reported, citing diplomatic sources, that the Turkish Foreign Ministry had summoned German Ambassador to Ankara Jurgen Schulz due to the disciplinary investigation launched by UEFA against Demiral.
It should be noted that the Turkish Foreign Ministry declared that this investigation by UEFA was unacceptable and called the attitude of the German authorities politically motivated and xenophobic. Later, the German Foreign Ministry summoned the Turkish ambassador to Berlin because of Demiral’s gesture.
In the quarterfinals of the European Championship, the Turkish national team will play the Netherlands on July 6. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan intends to personally attend this match.
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