Posted by 
Germany summoned its Turkish ambassador Thursday as a diplomatic row over a controversial far-right gesture made by a Turkish footballer spirals.
“As Euro 2024 hosts, we want sport to unite,” Germany’s foreign ministry said in a post on X.
During Tuesday’s match between Turkey and Austria in Leipzig, 26-year-old defender Merih Demiral celebrated a goal with a controversial salute, in which one or both hands mimic the shape of a wolf’s head, a symbol of Turkey’s far-right and ultra-nationalist Grey Wolves organization.
The gesture drew strong reactions from the German side, and condemnation from interior minister Nancy Faeser. UEFA, football’s governing body in Europe, announced it was investigating Demiral for “alleged inappropriate behavior.”
Turkey summoned the German envoy to Ankara the following day. Ömer Çelik, spokesperson for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Turkey’s former minister for EU affairs, called Faeser’s statement and UEFA’s investigation “unacceptable.”
“The ‘grey wolf’ sign is also not a banned symbol in Germany. Under these circumstances, the reactions shown by the German authorities toward Mr. Demiral themselves can be considered xenophobic,” the Turkish foreign ministry said.
The Grey Wolves rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s and played a role in a number of massacres and assassinations in Turkey. In 2021 the European Parliament called on EU member countries to ban the group; France and Austria have done so, but Germany has not.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is due to fly to Berlin on Saturday to attend Turkey’s quarterfinal match against the Netherlands. He originally planned to attend a summit of the Organization of Turkic States in Azerbaijan, but instead decided to support the national team.
