Enes Kanter, a follower of Fethullah Gulen and outspoken critic against the Erdogan regime in Turkey, is seen flashing the insignia of the Grey Wolves today at the Portland Trailblazers arena while arriving for his game against the Houston Rockets, according to a video published pre-game by the Portland Trailblazers.
Kanter received primary and secondary education at Hizmet schools in Turkey and reconnected with the movement’s volunteers when Kanter arrived in the United States, even forming a personal relationship with the movement’s founder, Fethullah Gülen. Kanter said he became publicly critical of president Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan in 2013 due to the corruption scandal in Turkey. After the failed 2016 coup d’état attempt, Kanter criticised Turkish president ErdoÄŸan on Twitter, calling him the “Hitler of our century”. Soon after the coup attempt in July, his father and his family publicly disowned him due to his political views and his support for Gülen.
Also in January 2019, Turkey put an extradition request on Kanter and requested that Interpol put a red notice for his arrest. However, according to Interpol’s website no red notice had been issued.
The Grey Wolves are a Turkish neo-fascist organization known for their racism, xenophobia, and fascist Armenophobic stances and acts. The Grey Wolves have officially been banned in France and notions have been made to follow suit in Germany in early November.
As previously reported on November 16, 2020, the Grey Wolves have disseminated threatening flyers to Armenian households in Germany.
