Germany summoned Turkey’s ambassador in Berlin on Thursday amid a spiraling diplomatic row which erupted after Turkish footballer Merih Demiral made an alleged ultra-nationalist gesture during his team’s win over Austria at Euro 2024, Agence France-Presse reported.
“The Turkish ambassador was summoned this morning,” the German foreign ministry said in a statement sent to AFP, a day after Turkey took the same step with the German envoy in Ankara.
After scoring his second goal in Turkey’s 2-1 victory over Austria on Tuesday Demiral made a gesture associated with Turkish ultra-nationalist group Grey Wolves.
His action prompted UEFA to launch a probe for “inappropriate behavior,” and sparked condemnation from German leaders, but Ankara immediately branded Berlin’s reaction as “xenophobia.”
Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser warned “the symbols of Turkish right-wing extremists have no place in our stadiums” and said that “using the European football championships as a platform for racism is completely unacceptable.”
The salute is associated with ultranationalist Turkish organization the Grey Wolves, seen as the paramilitary wing of Turkey’s far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), an ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) government.
The ideology of the Grey Wolves is mainly based on Turkish nationalism. Therefore, Kurds, Armenians and other minorities in Turkey have occasionally been their targets.
Since France officially banned the Grey Wolves in 2020, the German government has faced an intensified public campaign in favor of banning the Turkish nationalist group.
Although neither the organization nor the greeting is banned in Germany, the salute is banned in Austria.