The streets of Germany were impassable due to the overwhelming presence of Turkish fans celebrating football. I’m not exaggerating. While the Germans, as organizers, were managing the tournament, the Turks were masterfully commanding the public scene as a dominant minority.

Despite our national team not being favored, their advancement from the Euro 2024 groups and reaching the quarter-finals was a significant football achievement. Meanwhile, the performance of Turkish fans in the heart of Europe was a topic of its own.

Naturally, for the Germans, being the host of the championship and the undisputed favorite for the cup, losing the spotlight to the Turks was irritating. Clearly, they felt “inferior” even outside the football field. Otherwise, German state televisions ARD and ZDF wouldn’t have removed the Turkey-Austria match from their live broadcast list. Some circles call this public broadcast censorship “classic German arrogance,” but there’s also a different concern.

A local official I spoke with in Leipzig for the Austria match pointed out a noteworthy reason for the censorship decision: “Dortmund and Hamburg almost turned into Turkish cities due to fan enthusiasm, which is natural in football. However, the presence of Turks since the 1950s has, for the first time, turned into a visible power and sociological challenge. When considering the implications of sporting competition on social media and the streets, there’s a concern about reigniting the already present ‘deadly hatred’ within German society.”

So, what does this mean? From my observations, conversations, and the cold, tense glances on the streets, it’s clear that while not all Germans, particularly the rising far-right, are disturbed by the red-and-white scenes on their streets.

The match broadcast censorship can be linked to these sociological traumas and inherent racism.

However, Turks, or as we call them, “expats,” don’t see it this way. They believe that the exclusion, arson attacks on their homes, and various forms of racism they faced over the past 50 years didn’t intimidate them. They never felt inferior and have always been proud of their identity, reflecting their most natural, sincere, and enthusiastic selves at the championship.

The Turkish scenes displayed in Dortmund and especially Hamburg, where group matches were played, were also seen in Leipzig, where the Turkish population is very small and where we sent Austria home. It’s worth noting that Austria should naturally have been the home team here due to their kinship and proximity. However, Turks didn’t leave the streets of this city, known for its education, culture, arts, books, and sculptures, empty, nor did they fail to dominate the stadium atmosphere. Austrians experienced this sense of inferiority even before their defeat, resorting to their racism and chanting, “Germany for Germans, foreigners out.”

As we once again witness that football is not just a game but also a force that unites and dominates masses and causes sharp societal divisions, we must not ignore the rising wave of hatred against Turks in Germany.

Racist attacks against foreigners, especially Turks, have been happening since the 1980s in Germany. Arsons, deaths, threats… There are many incidents from both the past and present in Germany that need to be addressed, uncovered, and remembered. Racism is an unstoppable virus, with Western countries as its main source. Germany is one of the fields where it manifests.

This virus is now spreading in our country. The incidents in Kayseri showed that this level of contagion could occur even within Turkish and Muslim communities. Even people we know well and trust in their worldview start conversations with, “This hospitality has gone on too long, they should leave.” We must discuss the reasons behind this emerging mindset and find healing solutions. However, I was particularly shocked to learn that the vandals involved in the arson attacks in Kayseri were mostly criminals with records of drug offenses, looting, assault, and harassment.

We read about this in yesterday’s report by Yeni Şafak journalists Neslihan Önder and Burak Doğan. The 19-year-old driver of that hate-filled truck had a criminal record for assault, threats, kidnapping, and sexual relations with a minor. The profile of those attempting to set our country on fire within two days, looting innocent people’s shops, and trying to burn them alive in their homes is truly alarming. This “following the crowd” should worry us the most.

There are many similar incidents in history. We can’t attribute everything to social media. During the events of September 6-7, Maraş, and Sivas, there was no social media. We want the state to review its migration policies. Correct. Wrong practices should be quickly rectified. Absolutely. But what about society? NGOs, us, those who speak and write, those who produce thoughts? Will the fate of Türkiye, which is opening the doors to normalization at its borders, be determined by a truck driven by a drug-addicted psychopath with a load of criminals?

While celebrating the joy of our football victory, we also need to address the rising far-right in Europe and the treatment our compatriots face, along with the racist wave within our own society that must be managed, discussing its causes and consequences.