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Grey Wolves
Ülkü Ocakları
Leader(s) De facto leader (leader of the MHP):
Alparslan Türkeş (1968–1997)
Devlet Bahçeli (1997–current)
Dates of operation 1968 (1968)–present
Active region(s)
Ideology
Major actions Massacres, assassinations, bombings
Notable attacks
Size
  • Turkey: 3.6% of the electorate are supporters (2014) ≈ 1.9 million
  • Germany: 10,000+ (2014)
Means of revenue Illegal drug trade,extortion, people smuggling
Website www.ulkuocaklari.org.tr

The Grey Wolves (Turkish: Bozkurtlar), officially known as Ülkü Ocakları (Turkish: [ylcy od͡ʒɑkɫɑɾɯ]; "Idealist Clubs" or "Idealist Hearths"), is a Turkish ultranationalist organization. It is variously described as ultra-nationalist or neo-fascist. A youth organization with close links to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), it has been described as MHP's paramilitary or militant wing. Its members deny its political nature and claim it to be a cultural and education foundation, which is expressed in its full official name: Ülkü Ocakları Eğitim ve Kültür Vakfı (Idealist Clubs Educational and Cultural Foundation).

Established by Colonel Alparslan Türkeş in late 1960s, it rose to prominence during the late 1970s political violence in Turkey when its members engaged in urban guerrilla warfare with left-wing activists and militants. Scholars have described it as a death squad, responsible for most of the violence and killings in this period. Their most notorious attack, which killed over 100 Alevis, took place in Maraş in December 1978. They are also alleged to have been behind the Taksim Square massacre on May Day, 1977. The masterminds behind the Pope John Paul II assassination attempt in 1981 by Grey Wolves member Mehmet Ali Ağca were not identified and the organization's role remains unclear. Due to these attacks, the Grey Wolves have been described by scholars, journalists, and governments as a terrorist organization. The organization has long been a prominent suspect in investigations into the Turkish "deep state", and is suspected of having had close dealings in the past with the Counter-Guerrilla, the Turkish branch of the NATO Operation Gladio.


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