A Turkish ultra group has asked fans to make the controversial wolf salute at the team's Euro 2024 quarter-final against the Netherlands on Saturday which is highly anticipated by the large Turkish community in Berlin.
The group said on platform X all Turkey fans in Berlin's Olympic Stadium were invited to make the gesture during the playing of the national anthem before the kick-off.
It insisted that the wolf salute was not racist but "the national symbol of Turkishness."
Controversial gesture at Austria match
Turkey player Merih Demiral made the gesture, mimicking with his fingers the shape of a wolf's head, after his second goal in a 2-1 victory over Austria in the round of 16 on Tuesday.
The controversial gesture is attributed, among other things, to a right-wing extremist movement. The movement known as “Ülkücü” or “grey wolves” are linked to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's political allies, the ultra-nationalist MHP in Turkey.
The gesture often expresses sympathizing with the grey wolf ideology. Most recently, the wolf salute in Turkey has also been used by parts of the opposition to appeal to rising nationalism.
Demiral said he only wanted to express that he was proud to be Turkish and that there was no hidden message behind it.
UEFA probe and expected Erdogan presence
Demiral's action caused a stir and prompted a disciplinary probe from the ruling body UEFA. He could face a ban for the Netherlands match.
Political statements and gestures are not permitted at UEFA matches. UEFA had earlier at the Euros banned Albanian player Mirlind Daku for two matches after he chanted nationalistic slogans together with fans.
Turkey's foreign ministry named the UEFA investigation not acceptable and Turkey also summoned the German ambassador as a reaction to sharp criticism from German politicians.
Presidential sources told dpa that Erdogan was set to attend the match in what local media said was an effort to show solidarity with the national team in person.
'The ultimate high risk match'
His presence will only add to what has already been named "the ultimate high risk match" by Berlin's police union spokesman Benjamin Jendro.
He told dpa some 3,000 police officers would be on duty, and that the expected presence of Erdogan does't really change things because "We are already calling on everyone we can."
Tens of thousands of Turks are expected to be at the match, and the Netherlands also have a huge following.
Berlin's Turkish community buzzing
On top of that comes the large Turkish community in Berlin which according to its board spokesman Safter Cinar is very excited and hopes that everything stays peaceful.
"Berlin is the biggest city outside Turkey with more than 200,000 peole of Turkish descent, so they people are naturally happy," Cinar told dpa.
"Many Turkish cafés and restaurants that didn't have a TV have now installed one."
Criticism on Demiral and Faeser
Looking at the wolf salute from Demiral, Cinar named the incident regrettable and added: "What the lad boy did was of course nonsense, and he will certainly be sanctioned."
But Cinar also hit out at German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, saying that it was her sharp criticism that had added the political dimension to the incident.
"That was completely unnecessary and poisoned the atmosphere", Cinar said.