German domestic intelligence authorities have warned about the growth of the Turkish nationalist “Grey Wolves” movement, whose number of supporters in Germany has reached a record level.
Security officials have raised concerns about extremist elements within the movement, its ideological links to violence and weapons, and the possible role of its networks as a channel for the influence of foreign nationalist movements on German society.
The figures were first reported by the German newspaper Die Welt on July 14, 2026, based on a written response from the German Government to a parliamentary question tabled by members of the Green party. The answer, set out in Bundestag document 21/6785 dated June 30, 2026, had not previously been published.
According to the government’s assessment, drawing on information from Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, BfV), around 13,500 people in Germany are now linked to the Ülkücü movement, commonly known as the “Grey Wolves”.
The figure is an increase of about 600 on the roughly 12,900 recorded a year earlier, according to the government response, and marks a new high. It makes the movement one of the largest foreign-linked extremist scenes monitored by German security agencies. Of the total, some 10,500 are organised within three umbrella federations, while about 3,000 belong to what the authorities describe as the “free scene”.
The increase has been recorded mainly within parts of Germany’s large Turkish-origin population. Germany is home to around three million people with Turkish roots, including German citizens of Turkish descent and residents holding Turkish citizenship.
Security authorities have warned that the movement has developed influence in some sections of this community through cultural associations, clubs and informal networks. The largest of the umbrella bodies is the Federation of Turkish Democratic Idealist Associations in Germany (ADÜTDF).
German authorities’ concerns focus on those parts of the Ülkücü movement that promote an ethnically based nationalist ideology, which they consider incompatible with democratic values and the principles of Germany’s constitutional order. The BfV classifies the movement as right-wing extremist, and Germany’s Federal Agency for Civic Education has described it as the largest right-wing extremist grouping in the country.
The Grey Wolves emerged in Turkey during the late 1960s as the youth movement of the Nationalist Movement Party (Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi, MHP), founded in 1969 by Alparslan Türkeş. The movement promoted Turkish nationalism, anti-communism and pan-Turkist ideas. Its supporters were involved in violent clashes with left-wing groups during the 1970s, a period of political bloodshed in Turkey.
Today, the Grey Wolves remain one of the largest nationalist movements, with networks across several European countries with large Turkish-origin populations, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and Germany.
The movement has close historical ties to the MHP, the nationalist party led by Devlet Bahçeli, which has been a key political ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AKP) since 2018. The two parties formed an electoral pact, the People’s Alliance, ahead of that year’s elections.
Although the Grey Wolves are not an official organisation of the Turkish state, critics in Europe argue that their ideology overlaps in important areas with the nationalism promoted by Ankara, particularly on issues such as Turkish identity, foreign policy and relations with Kurds and other minority groups.
This ideological proximity is one of the main security concerns in Germany. Experts and authorities fear that Grey Wolves networks could become a channel for political and cultural influence over parts of the Turkish-origin population, allowing Turkish nationalist narratives and Ankara’s influence to gain greater reach within German society and potentially affecting debates on integration, identity and foreign policy.
The issue has contributed to a broader political debate in Germany over integration, political loyalty and belonging. At the centre of the discussion is the question of how cultural or national ties to countries of origin can coexist with identification with Germany and its democratic system.
Germany’s domestic intelligence service monitors the movement because of extremist elements within its ranks. Security agencies have highlighted hostility towards groups including Kurds, Armenians, Greeks, Jews and other minorities, as well as the rejection of pluralistic democratic principles. The BfV also records anti-Semitism as a feature of the movement’s ideology.
Authorities have also raised concerns over what they describe as an “affinity for weapons” within the wider Ülkücü scene. According to the government response cited by Die Welt, some individuals linked to the movement have displayed weapons online and shared aggressive or threatening content. Security officials consider such behaviour a warning sign, while distinguishing between ideological sympathisers and individuals directly involved in criminal activity.
The Grey Wolves have gained increased public attention across Europe in recent years. In 2024, the movement’s “wolf salute” became the centre of political controversy after Turkish footballer Merih Demiral used the gesture during the European Championship. He made the sign while celebrating a goal in Turkey’s 2-1 win over Austria on July 2, 2024, and was later banned for two matches by European football’s governing body UEFA. The incident triggered a diplomatic row between Berlin and Ankara, with the then German interior minister Nancy Faeser saying the symbols of Turkish right-wing extremists had no place in the country’s stadiums. The salute is restricted in Austria, and the Grey Wolves were outlawed in France in 2020.
