People from 190 nations live together in the Bavarian state capital. Munich is diverse, Munich is colourful. That's not exactly what the Gray Wolves are. Turkey's right-wing extremists represent a deeply nationalist and racist ideology. They are convinced of the superiority of Turkishness, adhere to an authoritarian leader cult and spread hatred against Kurds, Alevis, Armenians and Jews as well as against Turkish-speaking leftists and liberals.
The Gray Wolves are also active in Munich. In their demeanor they are mostly moderate. They are interested in subverting democratic parties. On the way there, it is already a success for them if politicians recognize them as legitimate interlocutors.
The Mayor of Munich, Dieter Reiter, repeatedly emphasizes that he is committed "against all forms of racism, anti-Semitism and right-wing violence". Research by WELT AM SONNTAG shows that the SPD politician was photographed with several leading figures of the Gray Wolves during visits by Turkish entrepreneurs in Munich. Among them is, for example, the chairman of the Turkish Educational Institute in Bavaria. The association belongs to the largest umbrella organization of the Gray Wolves in Germany.
Reiter's answer to a questionnaire from the newspaper is extremely remarkable. Because he does not write that he did not know that the men pictured are right-wing extremists. He also does not write that he is sorry to have been taken in by a right-wing extremist staging. He does not write that racist nationalists do not fit into a diverse urban society.
The mayor doesn't even want to answer how he assesses the fact that several Gray Wolves sit on the Munich Migration Advisory Board. He does not write a single word about the gray wolves – and only says that he wanted to advertise the third corona vaccination and that it is part of his job to fulfill requests for selfies.
Of course, the mayor of a city of over a million people cannot know every Turkish right-wing extremist. But he should know that Gray Wolves have been using photos of Democratic politicians to portray themselves as harmless for decades. And he should at least distance himself with clear words when confronted with the revaluation of nationalists. It is commendable when Dieter Reiter takes a stand against racism and anti-Semitism. But then he should also act accordingly in relation to migrant communities and not simply pretend that these problems do not exist there.
Dieter Reiter cannot be accused of being close to the Gray Wolves in terms of content. But a naive political approach. If the Munich SPD man had been photographed with German right-wing extremists, his statement would have been different.
But German right-wing extremists and Gray Wolves are brothers in spirit. In addition to aggressive attitudes towards minorities, they share an acceptance of violence, the belief in the right of the strongest and hatred of America and Israel. When it comes to fighting, no distinction should be made. The fact that the mayor of Germany's third largest city apparently sees things differently is not only embarrassing, but also dangerous.
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