The wolf salute is considered the identifying symbol of Turkish right-wing extremists – and looks exactly like the silent fox in schools and daycare centers. Is there a need for more awareness-raising or even a ban?
Although it looks very similar to the extremist wolf salute, banning the silent fox in German schools and daycare centers is not an issue. And yet some education ministries want to raise awareness of the possible political background of the hand gesture, as a country survey by the German Press Agency shows. There had previously been media reports that the city of Bremen wanted to ban the silent fox from daycare centers and schools because of its similarity to the wolf salute.
When asked, the Bremen education department clarified that there has been an appeal for some time to stop using the silent fox salute. The “political significance of the wolf salute” is “absolutely incompatible” with the basic attitude of Bremen’s daycare centers and schools.
In the wolf salute – just like in the silent fox – the thumb, middle and ring fingers are formed into a kind of snout. The index finger and little finger form the ears. The salute usually expresses affiliation or sympathy with the Turkish right-wing extremist Ülkücü movement and its ideology. The sign caused a stir at the European Football Championship because a Turkish national player used it to celebrate a goal.
Similarity “constructed”, ban “completely excessive”
A ban is not being discussed in any of the federal states surveyed. For example, the Ministry of Education in Thuringia says that the fear that teachers or educational professionals could reinterpret the symbol or that students could misinterpret it is “highly fabricated”. The silent fox is a child-friendly hand symbol “that we are not questioning,” said a ministry spokesperson.
For the Saxon Ministry of Education, a ban on the hand gesture would be “completely excessive”. When teachers or educators use the gesture, it is clear what is meant by it. In order to use the silent fox effectively, teachers would have to explain its meaning beforehand anyway, according to the Ministry of Education in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The “rather regimental style associated with the silent fox” is “not a contemporary pedagogical answer to ‘it’s too loud'”, said a spokeswoman for the Bremen education department. The use of hand symbols could be misleading. The Saarland Ministry of Education also believes that “such ‘commands'” are no longer contemporary in view of “inclusive and linguistically democratic education”.
No complaints or incidents known
Some states emphasize that the silent fox is rarely used anyway – and that teachers can decide for themselves whether they want to use the gesture. “It is up to the teacher to decide whether and when the silent fox or other methods or measures to promote social and work behavior are used,” said a spokesman for the Bavarian State Ministry of Education and Culture.
In addition, there have been no reported incidents or complaints about the wolf salute in daycare centers and schools, the ministries said. If this were to happen in the future, they would like to provide more information. “If there is a need, the topic can be taken up, discussed and clarified. The educators and teachers have the necessary sensitivity and competence for this,” says the Saxon Ministry of Culture.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
