After the Turkish national team's defeat in the quarter-final match against the Netherlands on Saturday evening in Berlin, supporters of the fascist movement "Grey Wolves" attacked the Kurdish Community Centre in London.

The group marched in front of the community centre in the Haringey district, yelling and showing the so-called wolf salute and shouting racist slogans. Individual people waved the Turkish flag and a flag with three crescent moons on a green background. The flag, which served as a war flag in the Ottoman Empire, is also one of the popular symbols of right-wing extremist Turks.

The London police were on site with large forces and formed a circle around Kurdish activists who held a sit-in on the street in front of the association. There were several attempts by Grey Wolves to overcome the barrier and attack the sit-in.

In a video shared, several of the Turkish hooligans can be seen attacking police officers. At least two of the hooligans are said to have been taken into custody.

Clashes in Berlin

Supporters of the Turkish national team also went wild in Berlin after the Turkey-Netherlands match. Clashes broke out between fans of both teams on the fan mile during the European Championship quarter-finals. Turkish fans threw objects and attacked Dutch fans. Private security forces had to intervene.

The trigger for the riots by Turkish fans is said to have been the decisive goal that made the final score 2-1 for the Netherlands in the 76th minute. Police officers only arrived after the final whistle. The police were initially unable to provide any information.

Because many Turkish football fans were continually showing the grey wolf salute, the police broke up the fan march before the match. The reason was the "continued political messages," shown, they said. Thousands of fans of the Turkish national football team then showed the nationalist wolf salute during the national anthem in Berlin's Olympic Stadium.

Erdoğan in the Olympic Stadium

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also attended the game on Saturday. He went to the Olympic Stadium with his wife Emine. Erdoğan had only landed in the capital shortly before kick-off and was due to fly back immediately after the game.

The Grey Wolves

The supporters of the fascist “Ülkücü movement” (“Idealists”) are called “Grey Wolves”. In Turkey, the ultranationalist MHP is their political representative and ally of the Islamist AKP of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Their symbol is the “wolf salute”, in which the middle and ring fingers touch the tip of the thumb, while the index and little fingers are stretched out straight. In the ideology of the “Grey Wolves”, Turkishness is considered superior. The enemy images are all those who do not fit into the Turkish empire they strive for. In addition to Kurds, Armenians, Greeks, Alevis, Christians and Jews, these also include homosexuals, leftists and feminists. Turkish national player Merih Demiral showed the wolf salute in the European Championship round of 16 against Austria, causing a scandal. He was suspended for two matches.