(Los Angeles, California)—Target finally joined Macy’s and Nordstrom by removing the Turkey Culture Toy and Activity product featuring Turkish Grey Wolves Symbol from their online store, said Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region (ANCA-WR) on Monday, October 17, 2022.

On the eve of October 13, 2022, ANCA-Western Regions was notified by members of the Armenian-American community that a kid’s product being sold at Nordstrom’s online store featured a seemingly innocuous grey wolf next to a Turkish flag. Upon further review by ANCA-Western Region staff, it became clear that the box of the Turkey Culture Toy and Activity manufactured by IN KIDZ included a depiction of a grey wolf which was in stark resemblance to the symbol used by the Grey Wolves, a Pan-Turkish, neofascist organization in Turkey and Europe that acts as the paramilitary arm of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

Consequently, on October 14, 2022, ANCA-Western Region privately sent and publicly disseminated a letter addressed to the CEOs of Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Target demanding the removal of the product promoting Turkish Grey Wolves Symbol.

Macy’s and Nordstrom quickly reacted to the call of ANCA-Western Region and thousands of requests and negative reviews submitted by consumers and members of the Armenian-American community, while Target continued to feature the product on its online store until early Monday, October 17, 2022 when the product was finally removed from Target’s online Store.

The Grey Wolves is a Pan-Turkish, neofascist organization and movement in Turkey that acts as the paramilitary arm of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). The movement promotes Armenian Genocide denial, defends the Turkish occupation of Cyprus, and murders and assassinates Armenians, Greeks, Jews, Kurds, among others, as part of its ethnic cleansing campaign. Throughout its decades-long history, it has also killed political enemies, labor activists, intellectuals, and journalists. The core ideology behind these acts is Pan-Turkism, which aims to unite all Turkish-speaking people and eliminate any ethnic minority or individual that is perceived by them to obstruct this goal. Not only has the movement been empowered by the MHP, but it has received direct or indirect support from other government officials, including President Erdogan, who routinely uses the hand signal of the Grey Wolves amongst his supporters to promote its message of hate. The Grey Wolves have been banned in France for political violence and hate speech, and the European Parliament has called on its member states to designate them as a terrorist group.

ANCA-Western Region also plans to reach out to the manufacturer: the Founder of In Kidz, Dr. Zabina Bhasin to discuss the matter concerning the Turkey Culture Toy and Activity.

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region is the largest and most influential nonpartisan Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues in pursuit of the Armenian Cause.

To read the letter sent by ANCA-Western Region to Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Target, visit: Letter to CEOs of Macy’s, Nordstrom and Target Demanding Removal of Product Promoting Turkish Grey Wolves Symbol – ANCA Western Region (ancawr.org).