In a significant move, the city of Bremen in northern Germany has become the first to issue a comprehensive ban on the use of a hand gesture known as the “silent fox,” widely used by educators to call for silence in classrooms. This decision was made due to the gesture’s striking resemblance to the far-right Turkish “wolf salute,” which is associated with the extremist group Grey Wolves.
The “silent fox” gesture involves posing the hand to resemble an animal with upright ears (the little and forefinger) and a closed mouth (the middle fingers pressed against the thumb). It has been a popular tool among teachers to signal to students that they should stop talking and listen. However, the authorities in Bremen have raised concerns that this gesture could be easily mistaken for the “wolf salute,” a symbol used by the Grey Wolves, a nationalist and Islamist group with a significant presence in Germany.
This issue gained international attention recently when Turkish football player Merih Demiral used the “wolf salute” to celebrate scoring a goal during Turkey’s round of 16 match against Austria at the UEFA European Championship earlier this month. The incident, which occurred in early July 2024, led to a diplomatic dispute and a subsequent two-match ban for Demiral from the European football governing body, UEFA.
The use of the “wolf salute” is banned in countries like Austria and France. Although it is not explicitly banned in Germany, its use was strongly condemned by the German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, who stated, “To use the football championships as a platform for racism is completely unacceptable.”
The diplomatic fallout included the summoning of Turkey’s ambassador to Berlin and Germany’s ambassador to Ankara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan criticized the ban as politically motivated, asserting that Demiral’s use of the gesture was merely to express his excitement. Erdoğan further questioned the scrutiny over the gesture, asking reporters, “Does anybody ask why the German national jersey has an eagle, or the French jersey a rooster?” ahead of Turkey’s quarter-final match against the Netherlands in Berlin.
Bremen’s decision to ban the gesture reflects a broader sensitivity towards symbols with potential extremist connotations. Patricia Brandt, a spokesperson for Bremen’s education authority, emphasized the need to align educational practices with the city’s values. “The political meaning of the hand gesture is absolutely incompatible with the values of the city of Bremen,” she stated. Brandt also noted that many educators had already considered the gesture pedagogically outdated and preferred less dogmatic methods.
The Grey Wolves, the group associated with the “wolf salute,” is classified as a right-wing extremist organization. They have an estimated 20,000 members in Germany and many more worldwide. Known for their hardline nationalist and Islamist views, the Grey Wolves have a history of terrorism dating back to the 1970s, including involvement in bomb attacks in Paris and Bangkok and an assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981.
Germany is home to approximately 3 million ethnic Turks, making up the largest ethnic minority and the largest Turkish diaspora globally. The controversy over the “silent fox” gesture underscores the complex cultural dynamics and the need for sensitivity in a diverse society.
In response to the ban, some schools have begun adopting alternative methods to maintain classroom order, such as using gongs or other sign language symbols. The president of the German Teachers’ Association, Stefan Düll, recently called for greater sensitivity in the use of such gestures in primary schools and kindergartens, suggesting that there are many ways to encourage children to be quiet without potentially controversial symbols.
This decision by Bremen marks a significant step in addressing the intersection of education, cultural sensitivity, and the fight against extremism.
