Due to the hand sign's stark resemblance to a far-right Turkish gesture, a city in northern Germany has become the first to completely ban its use in classrooms.

Teachers in Germany and other countries have long considered the "silent fox" gesture, which involves posing the hand to resemble an animal with elevated ears (the little and forefinger) and a closed mouth (the middle fingers placed against the thumb), to be a good teaching tool. It signals youngsters to stop chatting and pay attention to their teacher.

The gesture, however, is "in danger of being mistaken" for the same but indistinguishable "wolf salute" used by right-wing extremists, according to Bremen officials.

When Turkish national football player Merih Demiral used the salute to celebrate scoring a goal in Turkey's round of 16 match against Austria earlier this month, it became the centre of a diplomatic and sports controversy.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called it "completely unacceptable" that "to use the football championships as a platform for racism" was still allowed in Germany, despite the sign not being outlawed as it is in neighbouring Austria and France.

The European football governing body Uefa suspended Demiral for two matches following the summons of the ambassadors of Germany and Turkey to Berlin and Ankara, respectively.

Protests over his ban sparked calls among Turkish fans to use the symbol even more to show their anger at what Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called an “unfair and biased” reaction. “Does anybody ask why the German national jersey has an eagle, or the French jersey a rooster?” he questioned reporters before Turkey’s quarter-final match against the Netherlands in Berlin.

Erdoğan said that Demiral had just made the gesture to express his delight and that the ban was politically motivated.

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Germany hosts around 3 million ethnic Turks, making them the largest ethnic minority in the country and the biggest Turkish diaspora worldwide.

Patricia Brandt, a spokesperson for Bremen's education authority, stated that discussions about the silent fox gesture and the possibility of banning it had been ongoing for a long time, but the city felt it had no other option at this point.

“The political meaning of the hand gesture is absolutely incompatible with the values of the city of Bremen,” she said.

But she noted that more teachers now view the gesture as “pedagogically outdated” and find its “regulatory style” to be overly rigid and condescending.

(With inputs from agencies)

Due to the hand sign's stark resemblance to a far-right Turkish gesture, a city in northern Germany has become the first to completely ban its use in classrooms.

Due to the hand sign's stark resemblance to a far-right Turkish gesture, a city in northern Germany has become the first to completely ban its use in classrooms. Teachers in Germany and other countries have long considered the "silent fox" gesture, which involves posing the hand to resemble an animal with elevated ears (the little and forefinger) and a closed mouth (the middle fingers placed against the thumb), to be a good teaching tool. It signals youngsters to stop chatting and pay attention to their teacher. The gesture, however, is "in danger of being mistaken" for the same but indistinguishable "wolf salute" used by right-wing extremists, according to Bremen officials. When Turkish national football player Merih Demiral used the salute to celebrate scoring a goal in Turkey's round of 16 match against Austria earlier this month, it became the centre of a diplomatic and sports controversy. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called it "completely unacceptable" that "to use the football championships as a platform for racism" was still allowed in Germany, despite the sign not being outlawed as it is in neighbouring Austria and France. The European football governing body Uefa suspended Demiral for two matches following the summons of the ambassadors of Germany and Turkey to Berlin and Ankara, respectively. Protests over his ban sparked calls among Turkish fans to use the symbol even more to show their anger at what Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called an “unfair and biased” reaction. “Does anybody ask why the German national jersey has an eagle, or the French jersey a rooster?” he questioned reporters before Turkey’s quarter-final match against the Netherlands in Berlin. Erdoğan said that Demiral had just made the gesture to express his delight and that the ban was politically motivated. Also read: Donald Trump assassination attempt: Shooter used AR-15 rifle, one of the most popular and deadliest guns in US Germany hosts around 3 million ethnic Turks, making them the largest ethnic minority in the country and the biggest Turkish diaspora worldwide. Patricia Brandt, a spokesperson for Bremen's education authority, stated that discussions about the silent fox gesture and the possibility of banning it had been ongoing for a long time, but the city felt it had no other option at this point. “The political meaning of the hand gesture is absolutely incompatible with the values of the city of Bremen,” she said. But she noted that more teachers now view the gesture as “pedagogically outdated” and find its “regulatory style” to be overly rigid and condescending. (With inputs from agencies)

Germany: Bremen bans ‘silent fox’ hand gesture in classrooms over far-right symbolism controversy

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