The All-Armenian Students Association (All-ASA) has sent a letter to the University of Connecticut (UConn), calling on the school’s administration to take immediate action against UConn’s Turkish Student Club, which is promoting terrorism and hate on campus. These actions pose a direct threat to Armenian, Greek, Assyrian, and other minority communities at the university.
The UConn Turkish Student Alliance published a video featuring its student members making the Grey Wolves salute, a gesture associated with the ultranationalist, far-right terrorist group. The Grey Wolves have a long and violent history of targeting ethnic minorities, particularly Armenians, Greeks, and Kurds, and have been officially banned as a terrorist organization in several countries, including France.
The Grey Wolves are widely criticized for their documented history of violence and hate. While the Turkish Student Alliance attempted to frame the wolf symbol as culturally significant, the context of its use in connection to the Grey Wolves makes the gesture highly problematic and harmful, especially on a diverse university campus.
The All-ASA expressed deep concern over the harmful impact these displays of hate and extremism have on the university’s minority communities. They demanded the immediate removal of the video and urged UConn to prevent the future promotion of extremist symbols on campus.
All-ASA Statement:
In their letter to UConn, the All-Armenian Student Association (All-ASA), an umbrella organization representing over 40 Armenian Student Associations across the U.S. and globally, raised serious concerns about the Turkish Student Alliance’s (TUSA) actions. They highlighted the club’s use of the Grey Wolves’ salute, stating, “The Grey Wolves are an ultranationalist, neo-fascist, far-right, extremist Turkish political group who have been labeled ‘a terrorist organization’ by the European Parliament.”
All-ASA emphasized the direct threat posed to Armenian, Greek, Kurdish, and other minority students on campus, noting that the Grey Wolves have a history of “massacres and attempted assassinations against non-Turkish ethnic minorities, as well as leftist activists, in both Turkey and abroad.”
They referenced a video reel posted by TUSA on September 4, 2024, showing “21 students holding their hands in the Grey Wolves’ salute in the foreground of an army march tune.” All-ASA pointed out that the Grey Wolves are banned in countries like France, while Austria has specifically banned the salute, stressing that “to actively promote association with this terrorist organization via its symbolism is highly detrimental to the Armenian, Greek, and Kurdish students on campus.”
All-ASA also addressed TUSA’s defense, which described the gesture as an “OFFICIAL Turkish Salute,” citing the wolf as Turkey’s national animal. They strongly refuted this, stating that “no laws in Turkey have codified the ‘wolf salute’ as official, nor would it justify its use, considering its more evident implications.” They cited a similar incident in May 2024, when Turkish footballer Merih Demiral was banned from two European Championship matches by UEFA for using the wolf salute.
In closing, All-ASA urged UConn to mandate that TUSA “remove its September 4 reel and refrain from promoting association with the Grey Wolves by holding its salute.” They also warned that if the issue was not resolved, they would launch “a public social media campaign,” which they have.
TUSA’s Response:
In response to the video, the UConn Turkish Student Alliance (TUSA) issued a statement defending the video and its use of the Grey Wolves symbol, offering explanations for their actions. They claimed the video was intended “to bring the community together” and emphasized that they are a “cultural student organization” with “no ties to any other groups.” They asserted that they “don’t hold any political beliefs nor are [they] biased against any type of group” and condemned “any type of violence.”
The statement attempted to justify the use of the Grey Wolves symbol by explaining that the “grey wolf animal found in Central Asia is the spirit animal of Turkic people,” comparing it to “the eagle”¦ to the United States.” They further connected the symbol to UConn, stating, “the symbol also resembles a husky, our university mascot,” and claimed their intention was to “use a symbol that both represents Turkic background and UConn studentship.”
TUSA emphasized their long-standing role as “an accepting environment, welcoming people of all backgrounds,” and apologized for any offense caused by the video: “We sincerely apologize if the video unintentionally offended anyone. This was never our intent. We are committed to fostering a positive and inclusive environment.”
In a follow-up statement, All-ASA said:
“Despite contacting numerous relevant administrators and departments at the university, the University of Connecticut has not responded or taken any steps to remove the September 4 reel or address the promotion of a terrorist organization by students on its campus. Instead, the club has since posted a letter justifying their decision to maintain their video and blocked Armenian accounts raising awareness about the issue.”
All-ASA’s follow-up statement further criticized TUSA’s defense of the video, arguing that TUSA’s explanations offer no justification for promoting a symbol associated with the Grey Wolves, a group responsible for acts of violence against Armenian, Greek, and Kurdish communities. All-ASA also highlighted that TUSA had posted a photo on September 24 of its members holding the Grey Wolves salute, which remains on their Instagram page.
“We would also like to note that the Turkish Alliance posted a photo on September 24 of its students holding the Grey Wolves salute, which similarly still stands on their Instagram page,” the statement added.
Despite TUSA’s claims, the Grey Wolves’ salute remains internationally recognized as a symbol of hate and extremism, especially toward Armenian, Greek, and Kurdish communities. The All-ASA and many others argue that such symbols have no place in an academic environment and call for UConn to address this matter with the seriousness it deserves.
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