According to an unpublished government response to a query from the Green parliamentary group, the number of followers of the Turkish far-right movement, the Grey Wolves, in Germany has reached a new peak. The government estimates that for the 2025 observation year, the organized movement comprises 13,500 individuals, marking an increase of 600 members compared to the previous year. Of these, 10,500 are organized within three major umbrella associations, while 3,000 are part of the “free scene.”
In online activity, the government noted instances of “self-staged events with weapons or other threatening gestures.” It also stated that “followers of Turkish far-right extremism are fundamentally keen on weaponry, as self-defense is understood as a virtue,” adding that corresponding staged events are “frequently encountered.” Furthermore, the report mentioned “individual reports that followers of Turkish far-right extremism have met at Paint-Ball facilities in Germany and also in neighboring countries with paramilitary characteristics.”
Irene Mihalic, the parliamentary director for the Greens in the Bundestag, called upon the Federal Ministry of the Interior to seriously consider a ban on the Grey Wolves. She emphasized that the group’s continued activity in Germany, its acquisition of new followers, and the threat it poses particularly to Kurdish, Jewish, and Alevit people, cannot be tolerated. In the government’s reply, however, it was stated that the ministry “generally does not comment on considerations of banning, regardless of whether specific circumstances give rise to such considerations.”
Marlene Schönberger, the Greens MP responsible for combating right-wing extremism, criticized the government’s actions as irresponsible. While she acknowledged the importance of prevention and deradicalization, she argued that by restructuring the federal funding program “Democracy in Action,” the cooperative network for right-wing extremism prevention is being dissolved. Schönberger asserted, “This also affects the Turkish Far-Right Extremism specialist unit. Anyone who recognizes the dangers posed by the Grey Wolves to our democracy must also ensure the long-term security of existing prevention and deradicalization services.”
