Anti-Semitism debate weighs on Berlin left after election success

The winner of the election in Berlin, the leftist Elif Eralp, makes it clear: Anti-Semitism has no chance with me. "I stand for the protection of Jewish life - just as I do for the protection of every life and make a promise of protection that the people in our city must feel safe again," she said after her election success.

And yet the project of a left-wing governing mayor could fail because of her own party base. Or more precisely: a small but loud and very active section on social media that repeatedly positions itself in an anti-Semitic manner.

At the weekend, a left-wing politician shared a call for an “election intifada”. At the Left's election party in Neukölln, Bundestag member Ferat Koçak was photographed next to Ibrahim Ibrahim, known for anti-Israel views and head of a pro-Palestinian organization that is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the USA.

The day after the election, the federal chairwoman of the Left, Ines Schwerdtner, had to classify this: "Ferat Koçak has distanced himself directly, not only from Ibrahim Ibrahim, but from all calls and statements that glorify violence. And we as a party take this very seriously, as does Elif Eralp."

There are always debates within the left

Anti-Semitism is a red line that must not be crossed, despite permitted criticism of Israel and its conduct of the war. This is what we hear again and again from the party leadership in Berlin or in the federal government and that is what the last party conference of the Left in Potsdam decided.

The internal party dispute is not new: in October 2024, five prominent Berlin party members left the Left, including the former state leader and Senator for Culture Klaus Lederer and the ex-Social Senator Elke Breitenbach. In the dispute over naming and combating left-wing anti-Semitism. Incompatible positions have become entrenched in the Berlin left, and objective clarification is not possible.

“Ensure adherence to red lines”

Today the Left has another debate and promises from the party leadership not to tolerate anti-Semitism. But these abstract explanations are not enough, says Tom Uhlig, substitute professor for democracy promotion at the RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, who has been studying anti-Semitism for years. "Of course you can criticize the Israeli government, but you should be careful when a threshold is crossed into anti-Semitism. This happens regularly and relatively little happens as a result," he explains. It is good to draw red lines, but then also to “ensure that these red lines are adhered to”.

So: The left-wing leadership should switch from abstract warnings to concrete action: “That you also name what you are particularly against,” says Uhlig. That it is not enough to say that one rejects Israel's right to exist being questioned. “But rather states where the limit has been exceeded.” For example, when Israel is compared to National Socialism or Israel is demonized. “To really spell it out,” says Uhlig. It's not that difficult to draw a line with these people, but at the same time you lose their environment and scenes.

Will a possible coalition with the SPD and the Greens fail?

According to Uhlig, the supposedly pro-Palestinian scene has great mobilization potential, from which the left also benefits. "But that is not the only party in which these problems arise. There is the so-called Berlin Monitor from 2025, where an attempt was made to investigate anti-Semitic attitudes in Berlin." The result was that the further to the right it became, the more anti-Semitic it became.

After the Berlin election, however, the left is under particular observation. The possible coalition partners SPD and Alliance 90/The Greens demand: Clarify your anti-Semitism problem. Otherwise red-red-green could fail. If the Berlin Left moves into the Red City Hall, then this sentence from Gregor Gysi on election evening applies to the party: "You suddenly have a responsibility for the entire city, for all Berliners and all guests of the city."