Germany has summoned Turkey’s ambassador in response to an incident during the Euro 2024 football championship.
The controversy involves Turkish football player Merih Demiral, who made a “nationalist wolf salute” after scoring in a match against Austria. This gesture is associated with the “Grey Wolves,” a nationalist youth branch of Türkiye’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), an ally of President Tayyip Erdoğan’s AK Party. UEFA has since initiated an investigation into the incident.
Germany’s foreign ministry, emphasizing the importance of sport as a unifying force during Euro 2024, announced the summoning of Turkey’s ambassador. In retaliation, Turkey summoned Germany’s ambassador to Ankara. Türkiye’s foreign ministry criticized the German authorities’ response as xenophobic and deemed UEFA’s investigation unacceptable. They defended Demiral’s gesture as a historical and cultural symbol, stating that it was not intended to target anyone.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser condemned Demiral’s gesture, stating that “using the European Football Championship as a platform for racism is completely unacceptable.” (ILKHA)
