Turkish fans heading to the Euro 2019 quarter-final against the Netherlands on Saturday have been making the same nationalistic hand gesture that led to a Turkish player being sent off.
Berlin police told broadcaster X on Saturday that fans were “showing massive amounts of this gesture” and they were stopped from marching and asked to stop. Fans were asked to attend the match on their own, as long as they had a ticket.
“When a lot of people make this gesture, it becomes a political demonstration and a football rally is not a political demonstration,” police spokeswoman Valeska Jakubowski told The Associated Press.
The fans were making a gesture used by Turkish nationalists and associated with the Turkish ultranationalist organisation Ulku Ocaklari, better known as the Grey Wolves.
Jakubowski acknowledged that the gesture is not banned in Germany, but confirmed that there have been some arrests. However, the situation is still evolving and she is not sure why some fans have been arrested.
Turkey defender Merih Demiral was banned for two matches by UEFA on Friday for making the gesture after scoring in Turkey's round-of-16 win over Austria in Leipzig on Tuesday, an incident that sparked a diplomatic row between Turkey and Germany, the host country of Euro 2024.
The ban ruled Demiral out of Saturday's quarter-final, which the Netherlands won 2-1 to advance to a semi-final against England.
The Turkish Football Federation joined Turkish government officials in denouncing the suspension.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan changed his plans to visit Azerbaijan in order to attend Saturday's match. On Friday, Erdogan defended Demiral, saying the defender was simply expressing his “excitement” after scoring.
Turkish ultras on Friday called on other fans to make the same gesture during the national anthem before Saturday's match and are expected to do so during the game.
