Thank you for raising this point. I fully understand why, from a European historical memory shaped by fascism and Nazism, gestures associated with nationalist movements can trigger concern.

However, equating the Grey Wolf salute with far-right or racist ideologies reflects a very surface-level reading of the Ülkücü movement. The core of Ülkücü ideology is rooted in cultural nationalism rather than racial supremacy. This distinction is essential: the movement’s intellectual foundations, organisations and political practice cannot be meaningfully compared with European fascist traditions.

Moreover, as I emphasised in the article, the Grey Wolf gesture does not “belong” exclusively to any single organisation. It exists simultaneously as a political symbol and as a broader cultural expression embedded in Turkic mythology, literature and collective memory.

My aim in the piece was precisely to highlight these multiple layers of meaning. Reducing the gesture solely to a far-right provocation obscures the sociological reality that symbols travel across contexts, actors and generations.

I appreciate the opportunity to clarify this nuance — it is an important part of understanding how cultural symbols operate beyond the limits of contemporary political labels.