Three candidates from Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Filderstadt have ties to the Grey Wolves, a recognised Turkish right-wing extremist group, a WELT investigation revealed on Saturday.
This connection has come to light ahead of local elections, raising questions about the SPD’s stance against right-wing extremism and the influence of extremist ideologies within local politics in Germany.
The SPD candidates, running in the upcoming local and county council elections in Filderstadt on 9 June, are reported to have connections with the banned Grey Wolves, a group identified as extremist. Photographs confirming these affiliations were brought to light, demonstrating the candidates’ participation in activities linked to the Turkish nationalist group.
Last year, the German Intelligence Organisation defined the Grey Wolves as a threat to national security, and two soldiers were expelled from the German army due to their links to the organisation, while the Cologne Administrative Court ruled that weapons permissions may be revoked for Grey Wolves members.
Nils Schmid, an SPD Bundestag member, publicly expressed regret following his participation in a mosque event managed by an association tied to the Grey Wolves.
“I understand the criticism I have received following my visit to the Filderstadt-Bernhausen mosque and I take it seriously. It was a mistake to participate in the fast-breaking event,” Schmid acknowledged on social media after the visit was criticised by both ‘Stuttgarter Zeitung’ and WELT.
WELT’s investigation has further exposed that the Filderstadt SPD’s ties with the Grey Wolves are more substantial than previously understood. The Deutsch-Türkische Freundschaftsverein Filderstadt, linked to the visit, is part of a federation closely connected to the far-right Erdoğan ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) in Turkey.
One of the candidates, 47-year-old Gülten İlbay, has been depicted in multiple images making the ‘wolf salute’, a recognised gesture of the Grey Wolves. These photos, published between June 2018 and December 2023, also display portraits of prominent MHP figures, underscoring her deep connections to the group.
This revelation has also prompted concerns about the possible use of religious venues for nationalist purposes and questioned the SPD’s dedication to combating extremism, highlighted by Ali Ertan Toprak, leader of the Kurdish Community in Germany.
“It weakens our collective fight against right-wing extremism when the SPD, on one hand, calls for banning the Grey Wolves in the Bundestag, yet on the other, places candidates with such ideologies on local election slates,” Toprak commented, stressing inconsistency in the SPD’s stance against extremism.
