2024-07-27 02:11:28
The wolf salute is considered to be an identifying symbol of Turkish right-wing extremists. However, the gesture is also used in another context – and is called the silent fox in daycare centers or schools. Is that a problem?
Despite its similarity to the controversial wolf salute, the silent fox is not up for debate in daycare centers and schools in Thuringia. The Ministry of Education in Erfurt has made this clear. The so-called silent fox, which calls for calm, is a child-friendly hand symbol “that we do not question,” said a ministry spokesman. There had previously been media reports that the city of Bremen was banning the silent fox from daycare centers and schools because of its similarity to the wolf salute.
In the wolf salute, the thumb, middle and ring fingers are formed into a kind of snout. The index finger and little finger form something like ears. The salute usually expresses affiliation or sympathy with the Turkish right-wing extremist Ülkücü movement and its ideology. The sign caused a stir at the European Football Championship because a Turkish national player used it to celebrate a goal.
The similarly shaped silent fox, on the other hand, is intended to create a quiet group or learning situation. If it is used in primary school or kindergarten, this meaning is clear, said the ministry spokesman. The idea that teachers or educational professionals could reinterpret the sign or that students could interpret it differently is “highly constructed”.
He said that no confusion had been reported yet. If so, the ambiguity would have to be dealt with in an educational manner. It is clear that the wolf salute has no place in Thuringian schools and kindergartens if it is used with a clear intention or context.