The Grey Wolves are one of the largest far-right Islamic organizations in Germany, with around 12,900 supporters. Their ideology is Turkish nationalist, antisemitic, and racist. There are more than 240 clubs across the country, even in small towns.
The public broadcaster ARD’s investigation shows that the Grey Wolves focus primarily on young people and have organizations all over Germany. Particularly striking are ARD’s hidden camera images from a group in Duisburg-Rheinhausen that recruits children and teenagers.
Among other things, it shows a conversation with a club representative mentioning about 90 children. Inside the organization’s premises hang pictures of the Grey Wolves’ founder, Alparslan Türkeş, as well as many far-right symbols.
The club offers classes to children aged three to ten, several days a week. An employee says the children learn, among other things, certain chapters from the Quran and are introduced to national symbols and values.
“This is, of course, an easy way for the movement to influence many people, including young ones,” says political scientist Ismail Küpeli. “I would not be surprised to learn that local politicians in Duisburg know nothing about the school and what is actually happening there,” he adds. Otherwise, he cannot explain how such a school — where small children are taught far-right extremism — could be approved.
In response to ARD’s inquiry, both the municipal youth welfare office and the state’s youth services said they were unaware of the school, as its operation does not fall under their jurisdiction.
Links to organized crime
The ARD investigation reveals how this outreach works. For example, in late 2024, around 200 people gathered in a building complex belonging to the umbrella organization “Turkish Federation” in Frankfurt. This federation included a mosque, a club, and event halls. A large celebration was planned for the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic.
One of the main program items was a children’s quiz, with dozens of questions revolving around the Grey Wolves and their founder — and many children were able to answer them with ease.
The Grey Wolves operate not only under an ideological guise but also through violence. The group Osmanen Germania, for example, was banned in 2018 due to links with organized crime. Another group, Turan e.V., was also dissolved at that time, at least officially.
German politicians react
Critics of the far-right Turkish organization, such as left-wing Bundestag member Ferat Koçak and former Green agriculture minister Cem Özdemir, have been under police protection for years because they openly criticize the group and the lack of political action.
Özdemir, who is of Turkish descent, sees the reasons in geopolitical interests. One of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s governing partners is Devlet Bahçeli’s Grey Wolves party, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). The federal government allows right-wing extremists in Germany to do as they please because Turkey is seen as a key partner on strategic issues such as migration, foreign policy, and arms policy.
Neither the Grey Wolves nor their symbols are banned in Germany, unlike in neighboring countries such as France and Austria.
Some in Germany argue that the movement’s unofficial nature makes it hard to ban. However, politicians from all parliamentary parties have been calling for a tougher stance for years. Since 2020, numerous related parliamentary inquiries have been submitted to the Bundestag, but so far no concrete political measures have been taken.
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