Grey Wolves, Erdogan's Brotherhood

France has outlawed the Turkish far-right organization Gray Wolves, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced. The main reason for their ban in France is their recent activity against French-Armenians amid an atmosphere of general violence. Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish ultra-nationalist who attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II in 1981, was also linked to Grey Wolves

The group is linked to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), a political ally of the ruling government in Turkey. It was established in the 1960s in Turkey by MHP as a militant wing and was responsible for triggering chaos in the streets in 1970s and 1980s when its members fought leftists and were responsible for many assassinations. The far-right organization has active branches in European countries with a significant Turkish population, such as Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and France

Since the coalition between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the MHP in Turkey in 2013, the mobilization of the Grey Wolves in favor of the Turkish state and the president had become much more frequent, especially in Lyon and Paris 

During the recent conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, where France and Turkey backed opposing sides, the group became notorious for organizing “Hunt for Armenians” marches in France and for vandalizing the Armenian Genocide memorial outside Lyon with their own slogans and references to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

During the march, the group members threatened Armenians with slogans such as “We are going to kill them.” Four people were injured in Lyon last Wednesday during clashes between Turkish nationalists and Armenians who were protesting against Azerbaijan’s military moves

The banning of the group was urged by the International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism and the Coordination Council of Armenian Organisations in France. It is seen by many as neo-fascist and was banned in Austria last year. A ban has also been considered in Germany