MHP Deputy Chairman Semih Yalçın, in a written statement, stated that there is a great danger that racism and xenophobia will spread to other EU countries after Austria.
Yalçın emphasized that the grey wolf, which has been the subject of controversy, is a symbol of courage, determination for independence and freedom for the Turks, and stated that this symbol is used by Turkish federations operating within the framework of the law in Germany.
“An attitude worse than that of the Nazis”
“How can the use of the grey wolf motif, which is a part of our national values, be banned? How can Turks living in Germany be deprived of their most natural, democratic and legal rights? Banning the grey wolf symbol will disrupt Germany’s integration efforts, damage social peace and solidarity, and the culture of living together; it will be a discriminatory, divisive and polarizing step. Just as the eagle on the German flag, the rooster symbolizing the French, and the bull representing the Spanish are harmless national symbols, the grey wolf is also the most innocent symbol of the Turks. Will these also be banned in Europe? The real racists are not those who use the grey wolf symbol, but those who advocate its ban. Hostility towards Turks and xenophobia is being carried out through the grey wolf.
“German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser’s reaction to our national football player Merih Demiral’s innocent goal celebration by making the grey wolf sign is an attitude worse than that of the far-right and the Nazis.”
Yalçın, who argued that the bans on the use of Turkey’s national symbols are essentially based on fear of Turkey and Turks, shared his view that “Turkey’s current position as a shining star in the world is troubling Western countries. The reflection of the rising far-right and racism in EU countries, especially Germany, on football fields has become a separate source of concern.”
Yalçın stated that they “called on the German government to stop using rhetoric that poisons sports culture and to stop excluding the Turks to justify their political failures.”
