Dogukan Ergin, number two on Denk’s list of candidates for the November 22 House of Representatives elections, is under fire. He would be present at a ceremony of the Gray Wolves, an extreme right-wing Turkish movement.
In addition to being number 2 on the Think Candidate List, Ergin is also a Think Councilor in Schiedam. If the website Rijnmond news asks him for a response, he refuses to answer. He sticks to ‘imaginative fabrications’ and does not want to elaborate further.
According to the website Rijnmond news it is a fact that Ergin was present at the opening of a new building of the Dutch Turkish Federation (NTF) in Vlaardingen on September 17. NTF is affiliated with the far-right Turkish Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which in turn is affiliated with the Gray Wolves. However, NTF denies that there are any ties with the Gray Wolves. According to the federation, the wolf is a frequently used symbol for Turkish culture. ‘In reality, this is a broad concept: many Turks use the wolf as their own symbol, just as many Dutch people see the lion as a symbolic animal.’
The website Doorbraak.eu really sees this differently. NTF is said to be an extension of the Gray Wolves, but knows how to hide the ‘extreme right-wing and ultra-nationalist ideals well (…)’. According to Doorbraak, NTF misleads municipalities by using terms such as ‘integration’, ‘participation’, ’emancipation’, ‘dialogue’, ‘social cohesion’ and ‘mutual understanding’ and thus receives a lot of subsidies.
The Gray Wolves are the paramilitary branch of the MHP. They are responsible for many political assassinations, terrorist acts and massacres. The MHP is the coalition partner of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party.
