"During the Turkish fans' march, the 'wolf salute' was made en masse. The police therefore stopped the march and urged the fans to stop making this sign," the German capital's police force said on social media site X.
"A fan walk is not a platform for political messages," the police wrote.
Während des #Fanwalk​s der türkischen Fans wurde massiv der #Wolfsgruß gezeigt.
— Polizei Berlin Einsatz (@PolizeiBerlin_E) July 6, 2024
Einsatzkräfte haben diesen deshalb angehalten und die Fans aufgefordert, das Zeigen dieses Zeichens zu unterlassen. Ein #Fanwalk ist keine Plattform für politische Botschaften.#b0607 #EURO2024… pic.twitter.com/9vBEtjiuZa
The Berlin police also announced on X that fan zones were being closed due to the weather forecast, adding that these could be reopened "depending on weather conditions".
The match between Turkey and the Netherlands on Saturday evening was overshadowed by security concerns and diplomatic tensions between Germany and Turkey due to the debate surrounding the wolf salute – three fingers held together with the index and little finger raised to form a wolf's head.
The gesture is associated with the far-right ultra-nationalist Turkish organisation Grey Wolves, a youth branch of Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which Germany's government considers racist and anti-Semitic.
However, the salute is not banned in Germany.
Turkish defender Merih Demiral made the gesture after his second goal in the round of 16 match against Austria and was banned for the next two matches.
Germany's interior minister Nancy Faeser, condemned Demiral's actions, saying "the symbol of Turkish right-wing extremists has no place in our stadiums"Â on X.
Due to criticism of the gesture from the German government, Ankara summoned the German ambassador to Turkey and the following day, the Foreign Office in Berlin summoned the Turkish envoy.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was also expected to attend the match on Saturday evening. The MHP is an ally of Erdogan's ruling AK Party.
Germany, which is home to Europe's largest Turkish immigrant community, has had to deal with expressions of support for the Grey Wolves from some of its residents.
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