Disrespect among immigrants in Germany, sad protagonist of a Euro match
Farzad Youshanlou
July 8, 2024

On the night of Saturday, July 6th, dozens of Turkish football fans gathered at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium to support their team in the quarterfinals of the European Championship against the Netherlands. At the start of the match, during the Turkish national anthem, fans raised their hands in the salute of the “Gray Wolves,” in violation of regulations.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey and his wife traveled to Berlin to watch the match. The newspaper Bild reported that behind Erdoğan sat Mesut Özil, the former German national team player of Turkish descent, who had previously stirred controversy among fans with a wolf tattoo.

Arab migrants and anti-Israel refugees, carrying Palestinian flags, and citizens of Azerbaijan joined Turkish supporters. In contrast, Syrian refugees opposing the Assad regime, residing in Germany, took to the streets with the flags of the Syrian opposition, chanting “Bye-Bye Turkey.” This action by anti-Assad Syrians in various German cities angered the Turkish diaspora. These Turkish supporters, many of whom are either immigrants themselves or recent arrivals in Germany, responded with calls for the expulsion of Arab migrants and refugees from the country.

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