By: Soeren Kern
As German federal elections approach on September 26, the candidates hoping to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel are reiterating the need to thwart far-right extremism, particularly neo-Nazism, in Germany. In fact, the largest far-right extremist group in Germany is Turkish, not German, according to a new intelligence report on domestic threats to Germany’s constitutional order.
The Turkish neo-fascist movement Ülkücü (Turkish for “Idealists”) — popularly known as Grey Wolves — now has at least 11,000 active members in Germany, according to the new annual report (Verfassungsschutzbericht 2020) by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency (Bundesamt fürVerfassungsschutz, BfV).
The German Parliament and other federal agencies estimate that the true number Grey Wolves in Germany is above 18,000. This is five times more than the number of members (3,500) of Germany’s neo-Nazi party, the National Democratic Party of Germany (Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands, NPD).
The ideology underpinning the Grey Wolves movement is a Turkish version of Aryanism and sets itself in opposition to anyone who is not Turkish or Sunni Islamic. It is anti-Christian and anti-Jewish, as well as anti-American, anti-Armenian, anti-Kurdish and anti-Greek.
The objective of the Grey Wolves is to unify all the Turkish peoples into a single country called Turan whose territory would stretch from Europe to China. The Grey Wolves also want to establish a new world order based on Islam that is led by Turkey; they are opposed to the assimilation or integration of Turkish immigrants into Western society.
Followers of the Grey Wolves carry out intelligence-gathering operations for the Turkish government, and have murdered, assaulted and intimidated critics of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Germany.
Germany’s annual intelligence report, unveiled on June 15, elaborates:
“The Turkish right-wing extremist ‘Ülkücü’ movement (‘idealist’ movement) emerged in Turkey in the middle of the 20th century. It is based on a nationalist, anti-Semitic and racist right-wing extremist ideology, the roots of which lie in Pan-Turkism and Turanism. The ideological spectrum of the movement ranges from neo-pagan elements to nationalist Kemalism to the fringes of Islamism. The aim of the movement is to defend and strengthen Turkish citizenship.
‘Ülkücü’ followers consider the ideal idea to be the establishment of ‘Turan’ — an ethnically homogeneous state of all Turkic peoples under leadership of the Turks. The country of ‘Turan’ would incorporate the settlement areas of all Turkic peoples. Depending on the ideological reading, these extend from the Balkans to western China or Japan.
“The ‘Ülkücü’ movement regards the Turkish nation as the highest value both politically, territorially, ethnically and culturally. The assumed cultural and religious superiority is expressed in the exaggeration of Turkish identity and results in a degradation of other ethnic groups who are declared ‘enemies of Turkishness.’ The symbol and best-known identifier of the ‘Ülkücü’ movement is the ‘grey wolf’ (‘Bozkurt’) and the so-called wolf salute derived from it, in which the fingers of the right hand on the outstretched arm shape the head of a wolf. Supporters of the ‘Ülkücü’ movement are often referred to as ‘Grey Wolves’ (‘Bozkurtlar’).
“The ‘Ülkücü’ movement is heterogeneous. Of the approximately 11,000 supporters living in Germany, around 9,400 are organized in three large umbrella organizations. These represent the various forms of the ‘Ülkücü’ ideology in different ways. Some of the associations are foreign organizations of extremely nationalist Turkish parties. The associations strive for a moderate appearance in their external presentation and tend to cultivate their right-wing extremist ideology internally, especially in their associated affiliations. The unorganized supporters of the ‘Ülkücü’ movement live out their mostly racist or anti-Semitic enemy images in different ways, often on social media, but also when they meet their political opponents, especially the Kurds, in public. This shows the high potential for violence….
“The topics of ‘Ülkücü’ supporters in Germany in 2020 were determined by events in Turkey. These included, for example, Turkey’s conflict with neighboring states in connection with drilling for mineral resources in the Mediterranean Sea or the war between Azerbaijan’s ‘Turkic people’ and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The rededication of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul in summer 2020 from a museum to a mosque also met with unanimous applause from ‘Ülkücü’ fans. Many hailed this event as a reminder of the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, which they understood as a ‘victory over Christianity.’ In relation to this interpretation of the historical event, ‘Ülkücü’ followers generally use the number ‘1453’ as a code, for example on social media or in tattoos, to express Turkish rule and their supposed ‘racial superiority.’”
The Grey Wolf movement in Germany is divided into three main umbrella organizations:
Federation of Turkish Democratic Idealist Associations in Germany (ADÜTDF) is the largest ‘Ülkücü’ umbrella organization in Germany. It represents the interests of Turkey’s far-right ‘Nationalist Movement Party’ (MHP), which is the parent political party of the ‘Ülkücü’ movement. ADÜTDF has around 160 local branches in Germany with around 7,000 members, according to the report, which adds:
“Outwardly, the group demonstrates a commitment to comply with German law and it tries hard to maintain a moderate demeanor. Inwardly, however, the ADÜTDF is an advocate of a nationalist right-wing extremist ideology in line with its parent party MHP. Because of its membership size, the association is a major exporter and disseminator of right-wing extremist ideas among Turks and Germans of Turkish descent living in Germany.
“The ADÜTDF is convinced of the superiority of Turkishness…. This worldview violates the principle of equality anchored in Germany’s Basic Law and counteracts the integration of migrants of Turkish origin into German society.”
Union of Turkish-Islamic Cultural Associations in Europe (ATİB) represents a more Islamic-oriented part of the ‘Ülkücü’ movement. ATİB claims to have 80 branches in Germany with over 8,000 members, but the German intelligence report estimates that the group, which is based in Cologne, currently has around 1,200 members organized in around 25 local branches. The report, which does not explain the reason for the discrepancy, states:
Read more: https://thejewishvoice.com/2021/06/germanys-largest-right-wing-extremist-group-is-turkish-not-german/