Opinion
Turkish defender Merih Demiral celebrates scoring a goal by giving the wolf salute – on the anniversary of the Sivas massacre. UEFA must ban him for this, our author believes.
Football has never been apolitical – it shouldn’t and can’t be. But when a player like Turkish defender Merih Demiral shows the wolf salute in the middle of the pitch as a gesture of celebration, it has nothing to do with a normal expression of political opinion. The gesture is deeply embedded in Turkish fascism. And that is not an opinion, but a crime.
UEFA must now show that it will not allow itself to be manipulated by ultra-nationalists, fascists and misanthropists. Demiral must not play another game at this European Championship; anything else would be a slap in the face to all the minorities that have been oppressed, harassed and murdered by the Grey Wolves and their supporters for decades.
Wolf salute on the anniversary of the Sivas massacre: naive to believe in coincidences
The fact that Demiral celebrated with the wolf salute on the 31st anniversary of the Sivas massacre is almost beyond perversion. On July 2, 1993, thousands of ultranationalists, including members of the Grey Wolves, attacked a hotel in the Turkish city of Sivas with incendiary devices where participants of an Alevi literature festival were staying. 35 people died in the pogrom. It is naive to believe that Demiral’s celebration on this anniversary was a coincidence.
With this gesture, he normalizes and even condones the oppression of minorities that do not fit into the world view of the Turkish fascists: Jews, Christians, Alevis, Kurds, Armenians, queer people. In the view of the Grey Wolves, they are all inferior. UEFA cannot tolerate this. Especially not because Demiral showed no remorse afterwards – and even said that he hoped to be able to celebrate like this more often.
Considering that the association is investigating an ambiguous gesture towards Jude Bellingham’s crotch, as a spectator of this tournament one can expect that they will also react to Demiral.
Tolerance must end where intolerance begins
Tolerance must end where intolerance begins. The Turkish defender crossed this line with his performance. Every additional minute on the field at this European Championship would be a dance on the graves of those who fell victim to this ideology. UEFA must ban him – at least for the rest of the tournament.
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There is no room for misanthropy, fascism and right-wing extremism. Not at this European Championship, not in football and not in this country.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
