Grey Wolves

The Grey Wolves is an international fascist, Turkish nationalist, and pan-Turkic organization and movement which rose to prominence in the late 1970s in Turkey. While the group, which is usually called the Ülkü Ocakları (Idealist Hearths) in Turkish, formally operates as a political and cultural organization, their extremist ideology has also inspired non-members to violent acts. Breakaway groups, including the Osmanlı Ocakları and the Alperen Hearths, have also carried out attacks on groups demonized by the Grey Wolves. In recent years the group’s members and sympathizers have attacked Kurds and Armenians and members of the opposition Democratic Peoples’ Party in Turkey.

Attacks perpetuated by pan-Turkic nationalist extremists are commonly attributed to the Grey Wolves based on their ideological similarity, regardless of whether the individual culprits are affiliated with the organization. While the movement is often referred to as Grey Wolves in western media, in Turkey this name is only used in reference to the 1970s death squads. The name “Grey Wolves” comes from a Turkish Bozkurt legend in which a mother wolf protects the original Turkish settlers who arrived in Anatolia from Central Asia.

Turkish politician Alparslan Türkeş formed the Wolves in 1966, just three years after he founded the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), a participant in Turkey’s current (as of July 2021) governing coalition. The Wolves functioned as the MHP’s armed branch in the 1970s, carrying out attacks and assassinations on leftists, journalists, and dissidents. The group is still tied to the MHP, and Grey Wolves members view the political party’s current chairman, Devlet Bahçeli, as the leader of the organization. In 2019, a former president of the Wolves for seven years, Olcay Kilavuz, described Bahçeli as “Leader Devlet Bahçeli, who sees and embraces Idealists as his own children and enlightens our way with his ideas,” adding, “We will not hesitate to be under the command of Devlet Bahçeli, the Leader of the Nationalist-Idealist Movement, as it has been until today.” Kilavuz also claimed that Bahçeli directly appointed him.

From 1976 to 1980 more than 5,000 people died in the Turkish conflict between leftists and nationalists, including the Wolves. In 1981, the Wolves made international headlines when member Mehmet Ali Ağca attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II.

The Wolves were at times linked to the Turkish intelligence agency MIT, and their crimes often went unpunished by the Turkish police. The group has organizations, affiliates, and ideologically aligned movements in Germany, Azerbaijan, and Cyprus.

Organizational Structure:

The Grey Wolves organization is decentralized, with chapters and sympathetic movements spread across cities and universities in Turkey and abroad, as well as provincial branches in Turkey. The group has chapters in universities and cities as well as provincial unions, such as the Istanbul Union. The group constantly reformed under new names in the 1970s and exists alongside several breakaway movements, such as the Alperen Hearths and the Ottoman Hearths.

The Grey Wolves are also active in Cyprus, Azerbaijan, and Germany. In Europe, related organizations go by different names. Ties between Azerbaijan’s Wolves and those in Turkey are reportedly largely based on ideological links rather than organizational cooperation. The Cyprus branch, however, is more directly linked. The Cyprus Idealist Hearths (KKTC) organization was led by Fatih Arıcı as of July 2020. In 2016, the president of Turkey’s Grey Wolves visited the Cyprus branch.

The Wolves also operate across Europe. In France, sympathizers and members of the group are not believed to be part of any organized movement. In Germany, the organization had two affiliated branches as of 2019, the Federation of Associations of Turkish Democratic Idealists—also known as the Germany Turkish Federation (ADÜTDF)—and the Turkish-Islamic Union in Europe (ATİB). These groups have hundreds of local associations and umbrella organizations. In 2017, the German public-service television broadcaster ZDF estimated that the groups had 18,000 members. The Turkish Federation was connected to the attempted assassination of the Pope through the relationship between the failed assassin, Mehmet Ali Ağca, and Musa Cedar Celebi, the leader of the Federation in 1979 in West Germany. Celebi also had ties to illegal smuggling activities and was previously a customs inspector. He was extradited to Italy in 1983 for allegedly paying Ağca 3 million German marks to kill the Pope. After Hewas’s extradition to Italy in 1983, Ali Batman filled his position.

The Wolves are also closely linked to the MHP, a member of Turkey’s ruling coalition, and acts at times as the street movement or paramilitary organization of the party. Both groups were formed by Alparslan Türkeş. After Türkeş’s arrest in 1980, the Wolves reportedly kept a lower profile, especially abroad. Nevertheless, Wolves refer to current MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli as their own leader, despite having a separate president of the organization. In 2019, Ülkü Ocakları’s former president of seven years, Olcay Kilavuz, described Bahçeli as “Leader Devlet Bahçeli, who sees and embraces Ülkü Ocaklı as his own children and enlightens our way with his ideas. We will not hesitate to be under the command of Devlet Bahçeli, the Leader of the Nationalist-Idealist Movement, as it has been until today.” He also claimed that he was appointed to lead the Grey Wolves indirectly by Bahçeli in 2012. While Kilavuz acted as the President of Ülkü Ocakları he was also an MHP representative.

The Wolves have also been linked to Turkey’s mafia, illicit drug trade, and state security and intelligence forces (MIT). The group was most directly linked to state security forces at the height of its violent acts in the late 1970s, when the organization received weapons from the Counter-Guerrilla Organization. Allegations that the Wolves function as a paramilitary organization are bolstered by Grey Wolf, mafia ringleader, and assassin Alaattin Çakıcı’s employment with Turkish intelligence and connections to state officials. A former Turkish intelligence officer claimed that he “served in Paris for 4 years, and … acted against Armenian terrorism with Çakıcı at that time.” He said that the MIT used Çakıcı for operations in Europe and Lebanon. MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli’s insistence on releasing individuals such as Çakıcı from prison reflects the seeming impunity of these persons. On May 12, 2018, Bahçeli tweeted that the Grey Wolf assassins Çakıcı and Kürşat Yılmaz were “brothers who love their nation and country,” and suggested that they should be released from prison. Çakıcı threatened six journalists from prison, claiming, “They will be punished by the people who love me in Turkey or abroad.” Journalists report that Çakıcı is a member of the Turkish mafia and continues to wield power from inside his jail cell.

A 1998 report from the Turkish parliament explicitly revealed the Wolves’ connections to the Turkish security forces. The report cited a senior member of the organization’s connection to “organized crime, heroin smuggling, and political assassinations carried out in collaboration with the Turkish security forces.”

The Abdullah Çatlı scandal offered further evidence of collusion between the Grey Wolves and Turkish security forces. Çatlı served as the organization’s deputy leader in Turkey in 1978 but later went undercover when he was linked to the murder of seven trade unionists. Çatlı also helped Ağca escape from prison in Turkey. In November 1996 Çatlı was killed in a car accident while wanted for heroin trafficking and murder. A 1998 report from the Turkish parliament revealed Çatlı’s connection to “organized crime, heroin smuggling, and political assassinations carried out in collaboration with the Turkish security forces.” Çatlı was employed by the Turkish secret police on multiple occasions and became involved in anti-Kurdish operations.

The following list details some of the known ties Grey Wolves leaders and members have had with mainstream political parties, security services, and criminal organizations:

– Devlet Bahçeli: Leader of the Grey Wolves and the MHP.

– Ahmet Yiğit Yıldırım: President of the Grey Wolves.

– Mehmet Ali Ağca: Attempted assassin of Pope John Paul II. Ağca denied his involvement with the Grey Wolves but was known to have been a member.

– Musa Cedar Celebi: Leader of the Grey Wolves / Turkish Federation in 1979 in West Germany. He allegedly had ties to smuggling activities and was previously a customs inspector. Celebi was extradited to Italy for allegedly paying Ağca 3 million German marks to assassinate the Pope.

– Ali Batman: Replaced Celebi as the leader of the Turkish Federation in West Germany in 1983.

– Alaattin Çakıcı: Çakıcı was arrested after the Turkish military coup in 1980 for the murder of 41 leftists. A former Turkish intelligence officer claimed that he “served in Paris for 4 years, and that they acted against Armenian terrorism with Çakıcı at that time.” He said that the MIT used Çakıcı for operations in Europe and Lebanon. On May 12, 2018, MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli tweeted that Çakıcı and Kürşat Yılmaz were “brothers who love their nation and country” and suggested that they should be released from prison. Çakıcı threatened six journalists from prison, claiming, “They will be punished by the people who love me in Turkey or abroad.” Journalists report that Çakıcı is a member of the Turkish mafia and continues to wield power from his prison cell.

– Olcay Kilavuz: President of the Grey Wolves from 2012 to 2019. In January 2019, he stepped down from the position after seven years as the president. He is also a member of MHP.

– Abdullah Çatlı: Çatlı served the deputy leader of the organization in Turkey in 1978 but later went undercover when he was linked to the murder of seven trade unionists. Çatlı had also aided Mehmet Ali Ağca, who went on to shoot the Pope, in his escape from Turkish prison. In November 1996 Çatlı was killed in a car accident. Items found in his car revealed that he was a hired hitman involved in a national conspiracy. Çatlı was wanted at the time for heroin trafficking and murder. A 1998 report from Turkish parliament revealed Çatlı’s connection to “organized crime, heroin smuggling, and political assassinations carried out in collaboration with the Turkish security forces.” Çatlı was employed by the Turkish secret police on multiple occasions and became involved in “anti-Kurdish” operations.

Financing:

As of 1983, the group was “said to number about 18,000 in Europe, serve as the enforcement arm of the so-called Turkish Federation, [as part of] an amalgam of about 100 Turkish right-wing groups with 50,000 members.” In 2017, the German Federal Agency for Civic Education stated that the Wolves had “outgrown the neo-Nazis as the largest far-right group” in Germany. While exact numbers of membership in Turkey are unknown, the organization has chapters in most cities in Turkey, including predominantly Kurdish areas. Increasing nationalist fervor across Turkey may indicate a greater potential for recruitment in the coming years. In the 1970s, the group created commando camps and recruited retired soldiers and others for them.

Wolves have also engaged in recruitment for armed militias in Cyprus, Iraq, and Syria. In 1974, the Ülkü Ocakları Headquarters recruited volunteers for the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. In 2017, Devlet Bahçeli said that there were “5,000 idealist volunteers” prepared to fight in “Turkish cities where Turkmen live, especially [the Iraqi city of] Kirkuk.”

Training:

In 1968, the Wolves began founding paramilitary “commando” camps in several provinces across Turkey and in Cyprus to train members in combat. In 1983, the Washington Post claimed the Grey Wolves received “rigorous training in civil warfare.” Former West Germany Grey Wolves leader Ali Batman reportedly received training from a guerilla camp “where he learned shooting and bomb making.” The group began founding “commando camps” in 1968. A report prepared by the Turkish Interior Ministry’s Security Department, found that there were 28 “commando camps” in total.

Former MHP Mardin Deputy Rifat Baykal allegedly opened a commando camp in Gumuldur Akrepkaya region in Izmir. A 100-member camp run by retired soldiers was created along the Ankara-Eskisehir highway by MHP board member Dundar Taser. The Silivri province camp in Istanbul was founded by Mustafa Ok and was later visited by Ülkü Ocakları founder Alparslan Türkeş. In 1969, Ruhi Unal founded a 350 member camp in Yumurtalik, Adana province. In 1970 a secondary camp was created in Adana province, under the name “the Southern Region Commando Camp.” The camp attracted 80 participants at first, armed with at least 17 rifles. In 1970 Alparslan Türkeş ordered the establishment of a training camp in Bursa’s Mudanya province and the camp was constructed by MHP board member Kamil Koc and the MHP Bursa City Organization.

Designation as a terrorist group:

In 2005, Kazakhstan banned the Grey Wolves, classifying it as a terrorist group.

Following the November 2020 ban of the Grey Wolves in France for hate speech and violence, and the calls for similar actions to be taken in the Netherlands and Germany, the European Parliament urged, on 20 May 2021, that the 27 member states of the European Union to designate the Grey Wolves as a terrorist group, and thus, marking the first time that an EU institution has linked the Grey Wolves to terrorism. The Turkish government reacted to the EP report by calling it “biased” and “unacceptable”, because, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç, the Grey Wolves are “a legal movement, which is associated with a long-established political party in Turkey.” The MFA claimed the “slanders” are “fabricated by the anti-Turkey Armenian diaspora as well as PKK and FETÖ circles.”

In September 2021 Representative Dina Titus (D-NV) proposed designating the Grey Wolves as a terrorist group through an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The proposed amendment asked the US Secretary of State to provide “a detailed report of the activities of the Grey Wolves organization undertaken against US interests, allies, and international partners” and determine if the organization “meet the criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist organization.” The state-run Anadolu Agency claimed that the Gülen movement was behind the move.

Illegal drug trade allegations:

Grey Wolves members and leaders have been involved in international drug trafficking since the 1980s. In the early 1980s U.S. anti-terrorism officials at the State Department reported that Türkeş is “widely believed to have been involved” in moving heroin from Turkey into Western Europe. According Stephen E. Ambrose, the leaders of Grey Wolves had built in the late 1980s an army by trading drugs for military equipment, ranging from assault helicopters to tanks. Drugs were transported to Italy, where organized crime processed them. According to Peter Dale Scott, the author of the book American War Machine, in 2010 there were drug producing and dealing groups that had clear ties with the Grey Wolves and its affiliated political party, MHP.

Austria:

In Austria, the Grey Wolves salute as well as its symbols were legally banned starting from 1 March 2019. It is punishable by fines up to €4,000. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry condemned the ban. “[T]he ‘bozkurt’ (‘Grey Wolves’) sign, which is a symbol of a legal political party in Turkey and the ‘rabia’ sign that is widely used by Muslims in many countries as well as in Turkey. We do not accept this and we strongly condemn it,” read the Foreign Ministry statement. Turkey also called on Austria to “correct this grave mistake,” because it “deeply offends Turkey, the Turkish community in Austria and Muslims.” In early March 2019, Grey Wolves sympathizers started a campaign on Twitter by sending Chancellor Sebastian Kurz hundreds of photos of people showing the salute. Kurz defended the ban declaring people and organizations that do not accept democratic values, or fight against those values, have no place in Austria.

In January 2020 four Turkish bus drivers were fired in Vienna for making the Grey Wolves sign. On 26 June 2020, Turkish nationalist groups, identified by journalist Jake Hanrahan as Grey Wolves members, attacked Kurdish rallies in Vienna protesting the Turkish operation in Iraqi Kurdistan. Turkey criticized the handling of the violence by the Austrian police and claimed that it was organized by PKK sympathizers.

Belgium:

The Belçika Türk Federasyonu (BTF) is considered to be “affiliated with or sympathetic” to the Grey Wolves. According to one study, its aim is “to foster loyalty among young people of Turkish origin to their ancestral culture, religion and history and to keep alive the Turkish identity in Europe. BTF claims to oppose not the integration of Belgian-Turks into their host society but rather their assimilation by it.” Its activities mostly focus on “issues relevant to Turkish national sensitivities”. For instance, it has demonstrated against the erection of an Armenian Genocide memorial in Brussels. During the municipal elections of 2006 two member of the BTF came to the attention of the media: Fuat Korkmazer on the Flemish Christian Democrats (CD&V) list in Ghent and Murat Denizli on the Francophone Socialist Party (PS) list in Schaerbeek, a commune in the Brussels Region. Korkmazer got a very low number of votes, while Denizli was elected but had to resign because it was discovered he had a false address and lived in another commune. In 2019, sp.a candidate Mustafa Ayutar was linked to the organization. In 2019, Belgian-Kurdish New Flemish Alliance politician Zuhal Demir reported that posters advertising her candidacy in Maasmechelen had been vandalized with swastikas and the symbol of the Grey Wolves.

In 2022, Grey Wolves vandalized an Armenian genocide memorial in Brussels with three crescents, similar to the MHP logo.

France:

In May 1984, Grey Wolves leader Abdullah Çatlı carried out a bombing of an Armenian Genocide memorial in Alfortville, a Paris suburb.

According to Direction générale de la sécurité intérieure members of the Grey Wolves partook in a 21 January 2012 demonstration in Paris against the adoption of the bill criminalizing the Armenian genocide denial in France.

In November 2020, France banned the Grey Wolves organization after defacement of an Armenian Genocide Memorial, organizing combat training camps in the Ardèche region in 2019, inciting violence against Kurds and Armenians and orchestrating marches targeting Armenians near Lyon. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry criticized the ban and said: “we will reciprocate to this decision in the strongest way.” In addition, accused the French government of tolerating associations affiliated with the PKK and the FETÖ.

Germany:

As a far-right extremist group, the Grey Wolves are monitored by the German authorities. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution assumes that there are around 12,100 people in Germany who can be assigned to the “Ülkücü” movement and its ideology as of 2023. The majority of these – around 10,500 supporters – are organized in clubs, which in turn are grouped together under the umbrella of larger associations. A 2017 article published by the Federal Agency for Civic Education estimated over 18,000 members.

The three “Ülkücü” associations in Germany with the largest number of members are:

“Federation of Turkish Democratic Idealist Associations in Germany e.V.” (ADÜTDF), with around 7,000 members organized in around 200 local associations.
“ATİB – Union of Turkish-Islamic Cultural Associations in Europe e.V.” (ATİB), with around 2,500 members in 25 associations.
“Federation of the World Order in Europe” (ANF), with around 1,000 members in around 15 local associations.

The group transfers conflicts from their native Turkey into Germany with harassment against Kurds and Armenians as well as people with leftist political views in general. Its members have actively engaged in attacks on and clashes with Kurds in Germany.

Historicly the most important Grey Wolves-affiliated Turkish organization in Germany was the Türk Federasyon (Avrupa Demokratik Ülkücü Türk Dernekleri Federasyonu, ADÜTDF), which had around 200 member organizations. Founded in 1978 by 64 nationalist organizations it declined in the 1980s, but revived in the 1990s and claimed to have doubled its membership following the Solingen arson attack of 1993. It denies any direct links with the Grey Wolves in Turkey or the MHP, however, its monthly journal publishes articles praising the MHP and denouncing left-wing and Kurdish organizations in Turkey and Germany. According to educationalist Kemal Bozay, their influence on third generation Turkish youth—who are “looking for an identity”—has “increased significantly”. They had ties to the banned Turkish-nationalistic outlaw motorcycle club Osmanen Germania BC.

According to the Baden-Württemberg State Government, there are 45 Grey Wolves clubs and associations in that state as of 2012. These associations are often given non-political names (usually cultural and athletic) to conceal their identity.

The 2013 in three German federal states “two live arms with ammunition, blank-firing guns, batons, electric stun guns and Samurai swords” were seized from members of the Grey Wolves.

The Ministry of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state where 70 Grey Wolves associations with more than 2,000 members operated in 2011, also monitors the organization. Nevertheless, Serdar Yüksel , a Social Democratic Party member of the state’s parliament, stated in a 2011 interview that the threat of the Grey Wolves in Germany is underestimated. He said, “When thousands of Turkish right-wing radicals come together in Essen, we’re not worried. But if 100 members of NPD march, we immediately organize a counter-demonstration.” Olaf Lehne, a Christian Democratic Union member of North Rhine-Westphalia’s state parliament, stated in an interview that the Grey Wolves “are in this country, unfortunately, too often ignored”. He also added that they have a large number of sympathizers among young people. Another important organization affiliated with the Grey Wolves are the ATIB (Turkish: Avrupa Türk-İslam Birliği, ATİB; German: Union der Türkisch-Islamischen Kulturvereine in Europa).

During the UEFA Euro 2024 football tournament held in Germany, several Turkish supporters were observed giving the “wolf salute,” a hand gesture associated with the Grey Wolves. This gesture, symbolic of Turkish ultra-nationalism and far-right ideologies, raised concerns among European authorities and football officials.

The incident occurred during the group stage match between Turkey and Italy, held in Munich on June 20, 2024. The “wolf salute” was prominently displayed by a section of Turkish fans, leading to immediate condemnation from various quarters. UEFA officials noted the salute and initiated an investigation to address the display of political and extremist symbols during the tournament.

UEFA issued a statement reaffirming its commitment to keeping political and extremist expressions out of football. The German Football Association (DFB) also expressed its concern and emphasized the need for vigilance against far-right activities in sports events.

Turkey’s Merih Demiral was subsequently banned “for violating the basic rules of decent conduct, for using sports events for manifestations of a non-sporting nature and for bringing the sport of football into disrepute”, for allegedly making a “wolf salute” during Turkey’s round of 16 win over Austria.

From 2014-2018 the Osmanen Germania were a extreme right criminal gang working as security guards for the gray wolves.

Netherlands:

As early as 1979 the Dutch Scientific Council for Government Policy reported that clashes between the Grey Wolves and the Dutch-Turkish Workers Association (HTIB) occurred on May Day celebrations. Organizations such as Turkish Federation Netherlands (Turkse Federatie Nederland, TFN) and Turkish Islamic Federation (Turks Islamitische Federatie) have links to the Grey Wolves. According to Wangmo and Yazilitas, the Grey Wolves in the Netherlands have engaged in a variety of activities, ranging from criminal activities and nationalist propaganda to support of football teams. The organization was more influential in the 1990s when many first-generation Turkish immigrants “maintained a deep interest in Turkish politics and who had a deeply felt Turkish identity.” Grey Wolves activists have participated—with varying successes—in the local politics of several Dutch municipalities. In November 2020, VVD MP Bente Becker introduced a motion to ban the Grey Wolves. The motion was supported by 147 members of the parliament with 3 members voting against it. All three votes against the motion came from Denk.

Sweden:

On 13 September 2015, an explosion occurred at a Kurdish civil center in Stockholm, Sweden, following clashes between Turks, Kurds and anti-fascists at a rally organized by the Swedish Grey Wolves.

The Swedish Green Party was hit by a political scandal in April 2016, as images emerged of party member and Housing Minister Mehmet Kaplan attending a dinner party alongside leading members of the Grey Wolves. Kaplan resigned when a 2009 video was made public in which he compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to that of Jews by Nazi Germany. The Sweden Democrats party have called for the Grey Wolves to be banned in Europe and for its members in Sweden to be deported.

Vatican:

Grey Wolves members and leaders have been involved in international drug trafficking since the 1980s. In the early 1980s U.S. anti-terrorism officials at the State Department reported that Türkeş is “widely believed to have been involved” in moving heroin from Turkey into Western Europe. According Stephen E. Ambrose, the leaders of Grey Wolves had built in the late 1980s an army by trading drugs for military equipment, ranging from assault helicopters to tanks. Drugs were transported to Italy, where organized crime processed them. According to Peter Dale Scott, the author of the book American War Machine, in 2010 there were drug producing and dealing groups that had clear ties with the Grey Wolves and its affiliated political party, MHP.