Updated 07:31 AM EDT, Fri, Mar 29, 2024

Victoria's Secret Supermodel Adriana Lima Tricked Into Showing Support for Turkish Extremist Group

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Victoria's Secret supermodel Adriana Lima has been duped to flash a symbol in support of the Grey Wolves, a Turkish extremist group.

A grainy video footage taken using a mobile device showed the Brazilian model in a Miami boxing gym with a Turkish boxer, Hurriyet Daily News reported in July. Lima made the head of a wolf using her thumb, middle, and ring fingers right before shouting the word "bozkurt" and then giggling afterwards. The Telegraph noted that "bozkurt" is Turkish for wolves.

The word is associated with Grey Wolves, a paramilitary organization linked to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which is "a far-right party that's a powerful force in Turkey's politics and was recently involved in failed coalition talks to form the country's next government," The Washington Post reported.

The Grey Wolves was responsible for murdering hundreds of people, and once conspired to murder Pope John Paul II, The Telegraph noted. The group, which was deemed violent and neo-Fascist, was founded in the 1960s and has carried out hundreds of political assassinations.

Aside from these, the extremist group attacked journalists, Kurds, leftist students, activists and others, as well as initiating political violence and bombings. This year, the Grey Wolves was connected to a large number of anti-Chinese attacks across Turkey, which began with "nationalist anger over Beijing's treatment of the Uighurs, a Turkic Muslim minority living mostly in far western China," Washington Post added.

A statement from Lima's camp insisted that the 34-year-old supermodel was told that "bozkurt" was the name of a Turkish gym, and that she had no idea of its far-reaching and more serious implications.

"The video was prompted and taped by a Turkish boxer that was visiting Adriana Lima's local gym in Miami earlier this summer," Jesse P. Stowell said, as quoted by The Telegraph. "She was unaware of the wider context of what she was doing or its association to a political group."

Lima's spokesman further clarified that the lingerie model has "no affiliation to any political party in Turkey and unequivocally denies any implied association to these organizations," Daily Mail reported.

The spokesman continued, "She is personally disappointed that her good will was taken advantage of to create a video, released without her knowledge or consent, that upsets any community."

Lima's video footage sparked outrage in Turkey, particularly among the Kurdish community. Kurdish rights campaigner, Mark Campbell, told Daily Mail that it's "sad and depressing" that a celebrity is showing support to a violent and racist organization.

"The salute is extremely offensive. It's an incredibly scary thing -- it's a symbol of trying to show their dominance over the Kurds," Campbell told the news outlet.

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