Grey Wolves’ Salute Referred to UEFA for Demiral Investigation

by times news cr

2024-07-06 15:02:59

UEFA has opened an investigation into Turkey defender Merih Demiral for making the “Bozkurt” gesture, the symbol of the Turkish nationalist “Grey Wolves” movement banned in many European countries, including Austria, after scoring both goals in the European Championship round of 16 match against Austria.

Turkish media reported on Wednesday that UEFA had decided to investigate Demiral for “improper conduct” under Article 31, Clause 4 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations for his “improper conduct” during the match between Turkey and Austria held on Tuesday evening in Leipzig, Germany, in the round of 16 of the European Nations Cup.

The European Union said in its statement that it will provide more details on the subject in the coming days.

Demiral, a professional player for Al-Ahli Saudi Club, said in statements after the match when asked about celebrating by raising the “Grey Wolves” logo: “I am proud to be Turkish, I do not do that when I celebrate a goal, I saw that we are all Turks, players and fans, and I am proud to be Turkish, and I say that every time, that is why I celebrated the goal in this way, it is normal, our Turkish fans are proud of us, I hope we continue.”

He added: “Celebrating this way does not carry any message, I just wanted to show how proud and happy I am.”

Demiral was attacked by the German newspaper Bild on Wednesday, which put his picture on its front page under the headline “Fascist Wolf Salute” and described Demiral’s celebration as a “far-right celebration.”

In turn, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser condemned, on Wednesday, a hand gesture made by Turkish football player Merih Demiral, during a match in the European Football Championship, which was held yesterday (Tuesday) between Turkey and Austria.

“The symbols of the far-right in Turkey have no place in our stadiums,” Viser said on the social media platform X.

“Using the European Football Championship as a platform for racism is completely unacceptable,” she added.

She continued: “Our security authorities are closely monitoring Turkish right-wing extremists in Germany… We expect UEFA to investigate the case and consider imposing sanctions.”

What are “Grey Wolves”?

The Grey Wolves movement is a Turkish right-wing nationalist group founded in the late 1960s by former Turkish army officer Alparslan Türkeş, who founded the Nationalist Movement Party. It brings together young people who believe in the theory of “Turkish racial superiority” and aspire to unite Turkish nationalists around the world in one country.

The name “Grey Wolves” goes back to an ancient legend that tells of a war of extermination that the Turks were subjected to, from which only one child survived. He was forced to marry a wolf and had 12 children with her who rebuilt the Turkish tribes.

Members of the movement are known for their distinctive hand gesture, in which the index and little fingers are raised while the rest of the fingers are joined together to form a “wolf’s head”. It carried out 694 attacks between 1974 and 1980, killing thousands. The organization is also believed to have fought in Azerbaijan against Armenia, before taking part in an attempted coup that ended with it being banned there. It was also banned in Kazakhstan in 2005.

The movement, which has been banned by many European countries, has been involved in the conflict between Turkish and Greek Cypriots in Cyprus, supported the Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang region, fought in the first and second Chechen wars against the Russians, and in recent years has been reported to be coordinating with Crimean Tatars and Syrian Turkmen.

Grey wolves are widely spread in Europe, and unconfirmed reports say that there are 18,000 of them in Germany.

Defender Merih Demiral led Turkey to the quarter-finals of the European Championship after scoring a brace against Austria in the round of 16, which was enough to put Turkey against the Netherlands in a match to be held next Saturday in the quarter-finals of the tournament.

The player was widely criticized in Turkey as well for celebrating in this way. Twitter users on the “X” platform considered that it was not necessary to raise the “Grey Wolves” sign, and others said that our joy at defeating Austria and qualifying for the quarter-finals was 100 percent, but your celebration in this way reduced it to 5 percent.

Hosts Spain will meet Germany on Friday in the quarter-finals, while Portugal will face France, Switzerland will face England and Turkey will meet the Netherlands on Saturday.


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2024-07-06 15:02:59

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