German officials are in fear of the “silent fox” gesture used in the classrooms; it is “in danger of being mistaken” for the extremist Turkish sign, they argue.
The city of Bremen joined Austria and France in banning the “silent fox” sign, used in Germany as a teaching tool to quieten children. Patricia Brandt, a spokesperson for Bremen´s education authority stated; “The political meaning of the hand gesture is absolutely incompatible with the values of the city of Bremen.”
The gesture is indistinguishable from the “wolf salute”, which is the identifying logo of the Grey Wolves; a group classified as far-right and blamed for the attempt on the life of Pope John Paul II in 1981. The Grey Wolves has an estimated 20,000 members in Germany and many more globally.
Today, an estimated 3 million Turks live in Germany, making up the country´s largest single ethnic minority and the largest Turkish diaspora worldwide. A diplomatic scandal was recently a concern for the nearing Austria, when a Turkish football player, Merih Demiral used the “wolf salute” to celebrate scoring a goal against Austria in the Euro Cup.
Since then, Germany´s interior minister, Nancy Faeser announced the prohibition of the gesture, stating that “to use the football championships as a platform for racism is completely unacceptable.” The conflict escalated when the EU´s football governing body, Uefa issued Demiral with a two-match ban, resulting in protests among Turkish fans.
In turn, the gesture only grew in popularity. Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, called Uefa´s ban “unfair and biased,” arguing it was politically motivated. “Does anybody ask why the German national jersey has an eagle, or the French jersey a rooster?” he questioned the Press before Turkey´s quarter-final match with the Netherlands.
The president of the German Teachers´ Association, Stefan Düll recently chaired a meeting to discuss the potential substitutes for the “silent fox” gesture. Patricia Brandt had also emphasised that an increasing number of teachers had already considered the gesture “pedagogically outdated” and too dogmatic, regardless of its associations.
Schools across Germany and beyond are now using gongs, picture symbols and other gestures to indicate silence. The classrooms may return to the good old “sh” sign to stay safe from unwanted associations.
