German city bans ‘silent fox’ sign after Turkish footballer gesture row

ISTANBUL

German authorities have introduced a ban on the “silent fox” gesture used in schools with the aim of silencing children in the Bremen province due to its similarity to the wolf salute that was used by a Turkish footballer and sparked a row.

Türkiye’s Merih Demiral was controversially banned for two games during the Euros by tournament organizer UEFA for giving the wolf salute after his second goal in the 2-1 last-16 win over Austria.

UEFA deemed the gesture to have a far-right nature, but Turkish officials say it is nothing of the sort.

As the debate turned into a heated disputation in Germany, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said, "The symbols of Turkish far-right extremists have no place in stadiums in Germany," followed by both Türkiye and Germany summoning their ambassadors to their foreign ministries.

Weeks after the debate, authorities from the Bremen province stated people might mistake the fox gesture for the ultra-nationalist group’s wolf salute, as “the salute was recently the focus of a diplomatic and sporting row,” the Guardian reported.

The silent fox gesture has been widely used in schools by teachers in order to maintain order in the classroom. The gesture resembles a fox, the little and forefinger posing as ears and the two middle fingers joining the thumb resembling the mouth.

A spokesperson from the country’s provincial directorate of education, Patricia Brandt, said that though the silent fox sign and its potential prohibition had been debated for a while previously, the city-state government “felt that it had no other option” than banning it at present in her remarks on the matter to the daily.

“The political meaning of the hand gesture is absolutely incompatible with the values of the city of Bremen,” she said.

It has been claimed that some schools have switched to employing image symbols or other sign language in addition to gongs instead of the fox gesture as the president of the German Teachers’ Association called for the teachers to use other ways to tempt children to be quiet in class, according to the Guardian.

However, according to the local media reports, a number of German states, particularly Hamburg, reportedly disapprove of Bremen's choice in the matter.