France to dissolve Turkish diaspora group

PARIS

France announced on Monday that a Turkish nationalist group known as the "Grey Wolves" would soon become a banned organization in the country.

The Council of Ministers will take this decision in its meeting on Wednesday, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told the National Assembly's Law Commission, according to the local media.

The decision comes amid heightened tensions between France and Turkey in recent months.

Known in Turkish as the Ulku Ocaklari, the group is often referred to as the Grey Wolves in French media. It brings together various local associations throughout the country to promote Turkish language and culture, as well as to organize social activities to strengthen solidarity among members of the Turkish community in France.

On its website, the group says it rejects all manner of extremism and promotes social projects for the Turkish diaspora's integration into French society.

In recent weeks, the group's members organized peaceful demonstrations protesting Armenia's military attacks against Azerbaijan and its illegal occupation of Upper Karabakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh.

PARIS

France announced on Monday that a Turkish nationalist group known as the "Grey Wolves" would soon become a banned organization in the country.

The Council of Ministers will take this decision in its meeting on Wednesday, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told the National Assembly's Law Commission, according to the local media.

The decision comes amid heightened tensions between France and Turkey in recent months.

On its website, the group says it rejects all manner of extremism and promotes social projects for the Turkish diaspora's integration into French society.

In recent weeks, the group's members organized peaceful demonstrations protesting Armenia's military attacks against Azerbaijan and its illegal occupation of Upper Karabakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh.