The right-wing extremist Turkish movement “Gray Wolves” has around 2500 followers in Hesse.
As with other extremist groups, it can be assumed that the members of the "Gray Wolves" especially want to inspire young people for their anti-constitutional ideas and views, said Interior Minister Peter Beuth (CDU) in response to a small request from the AfD parliamentary group in Wiesbaden.
That could be done with a targeted address.
But it is often done through events that seem harmless at first glance, such as sports and music events or discussion evenings on political topics, explained Beuth.
Connections to the Turkish government
Nationwide, the potential of the “Ülkücü” movement is estimated at 11,000 people.
Colloquially, the supporters of the right-wing extremist Turkish "Ülkücü" movement "are also referred to as" gray wolves ".
According to the constitution protection report, the “gray wolves” are the carriers and disseminators of nationalist-right-wing extremist ideas.
The organization also has ties to the ultra-nationalist MHP party in Turkey, which forms a government alliance there with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP.
The interior minister said that the movement has been an object of observation in the constitution protection group since 2012.
In the years 2014 to 2020, four specific crimes by the "gray wolves" were registered in Hesse.
According to Beuth, these were assigned to politically motivated crime in the field of foreign ideology.