“The way I celebrated has something to do with my Turkish identity,” said Demiral after midnight in the Leipzig European Championship stadium. “That’s why I made this gesture. I saw people in the stadium who also made this gesture.” There was “no hidden message” behind it. “We are all Turks, I am very proud to be Turkish and that is the meaning of this gesture,” he said. “I just wanted to demonstrate how happy I am and how proud I am.” Hopefully there will be more opportunities to show this gesture.
In Germany, showing the wolf salute is not a criminal offense, but in Austria it is. The Grey Wolves’ hand sign has been banned there since 2019. The Grey Wolves are the name given to the supporters of the right-wing extremist “Ülkücü movement”, which is monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Germany. In Turkey, the ultra-nationalist MHP is their political representative and an ally of the Islamic-conservative AKP of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Demiral scored the fastest goal in the knockout round of a European Championship in Leipzig after just 57 seconds and in the 59th minute. He was voted Man of the Match. Turkey will play against the Netherlands in Berlin on Saturday for a place in the semi-finals of the European Championship.
