Demiral scored both goals as Turkey reached the European Championship quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over Austria on Tuesday night. After the match, pictures of his celebration, specifically a sign he made with his hands, have started to circulate. With the index finger and little finger raised, and the thumb in towards the ring finger and middle finger, the sign is supposed to imitate wolf ears and is known in political contexts as the “wolf salute”. WOLVES’ GREETINGS: But Demiral believes he only did it to show how happy he was. Photo: AP – Scandalous This hand symbol is considered both nationalist, right-wing and extremist, writes the major German newspaper Der Spiegel, which labels the whole thing an “explosive incident”. The “Grey Wolves” are considered the largest far-right organization in Germany. – Scandalous. He knows very well what he is doing there. And think what influence he can potentially have on young Turks who watched the game and follow this team now in the EC. I can only understand that there is a penalty waiting here and that he is finished in this championship, says news expert Kristoffer Løkberg. – Just wanted to show how happy I am. news contacted the Turkish Football Association’s press contact on the night of Wednesday and offered both the association and Demiral to comment on the matter, as well as explain what was the background for his celebration. At the time of writing, they have not responded. But Demiral himself posted a picture of the hand gesture on social media after the match with the following text: – How happy are all those who call themselves Turks? MATCH WINNER: Demiral scored two goals and sent Turkey through. Photo: Lisi Niesner / Reuters But also at the press conference after the match, Demiral was asked about what he wanted to express with the celebration. – I am of course very happy to have scored two goals. I had a specific celebration in mind and that’s the one I did. It has to do with my Turkish identity, because I am very proud to be Turkish. I felt it especially after the second goal, so then I made the gesture and I’m very happy that I did. I saw supporters in the stands who also made that gesture. It reminded me to do it, he said. – The clear loser Not everyone buys that explanation. The Austrian politician Berîvan Aslan is among those who react strongly to his displaying the sign. – If I have to highlight two people after the match: For me it is Ralph Rangnick, who has clearly positioned himself in the fight against right-wing extremism, he is the winner! The clear loser is the Turkish player Demiral, who attracts negative attention with a far-right wolf greeting, she writes on X. The German politician Cansu Özdemir supports his colleague from the neighboring country. – Demiral shows the wolf salute associated with the ultra-fascist Gray Wolves. Their murderous ideology is downplayed and their activities tolerated. Uefa must give this consequences and Germany must enforce a ban instead of kneeling before Erdoğan, she writes on X. Asking for a ban from the EC Düzen Tekkal, a German writer and journalist, has parents who immigrated from Turkey in the 70s. She also goes hard against Demiral. – I cannot and will not remain silent about this. For years I have received death threats from supporters of the Gray Wolves, one of the most extreme right-wing groups in Germany. That Merih Demiral shows the far-right wolf salute is a mockery of the victims, writes Tekkal on X. – Society must not close its eyes to racism and fascism in parts of the population with a history of immigration. All forms of contempt for humanity and hostility to the constitution must be fought! Everything else is rubbish. Uefa must show action, she continues. The German and renowned political journalist Tobias Huch believes that Demiral should be finished in the EC after this. – This must lead to him being banned from the championship, he writes on X. news has contacted Uefa to hear how the European football confederation views the situation and whether an investigation will be opened against Demiral. Uefa has not responded at the time of writing. That the situation arose precisely against Austria was perhaps not entirely accidental. In 2018, the Austrian parliament passed a law banning citizens from displaying the gray wolf sign. People who break the ban risk both hefty fines and prison terms, writes the state-run Turkish news agency Anadolu Ajansı. Published 03.07.2024, at 08.58 Updated 03.07.2024, at 09.11
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Demand that the Turkey hero be banned after this – Euro 2024
