German city bans ‘silent fox’ gesture in schools over similarity to far-right sign

Bremen says symbol, used to call for silence in class, in danger of being mistaken' for Turkish extremist wolf salute'

A city in northern Germany has become the first to issue an all-out ban on the use of a hand gesture used to encourage silence in the classroom because of its close resemblance to a far-right Turkish gesture.

The silent fox" gesture - where the hand is posed to resemble an animal with upright ears (the little and forefinger) and a closed mouth (the middle fingers pressed against the thumb) - has long been seen as a useful teaching tool by educators in Germany and elsewhere. It signals to children that they should stop talking and listen to their teacher.