The Left Party has been arguing about anti-Semitism for a long time - especially in the Berlin regional association. Two years ago, prominent party members resigned because a motion against left-wing anti-Semitism was not passed. A month ago, a rapper called for violence against Israel and the Israeli army at a campaign rally.
Now, after the victory in the Berlin House of Representatives election, the issue is becoming a major problem - and could endanger top candidate Elif Eralp's entry into the Red City Hall. The warnings are getting louder from the ranks of the SPD and the Greens - the possible coalition partners of the Left in Berlin.
SPD leader: “Don’t leave a millimeter of space” for anti-Semitism
The SPD federal leadership has intervened in the debate and is holding the Left accountable. “Anti-Semitic slogans have no place in our society or in our politics,” wrote party leaders Lars Klingbeil and Bärbel Bas as well as Secretary General Tim Klüssendorf in an Instagram post. "The Left will be measured by this and clearly must not leave an inch of space for anti-Semitism and clan criminals in their ranks. That is where the responsibility now lies."
This can be understood as an unmistakable call to get the problem under control before forming a joint government. “Social Democracy fights anti-Semitism, every form of misanthropy and organized crime,” wrote the SPD leadership.
Green Party co-leader Felix Banaszak warned on the ARD program Maischberger: "If talks start now, then they could fail." It is not enough to sign a paper stating that the party is committed to Israel's right to exist. He expects clarity from the Left Party and sanctions against party members who make anti-Semitic comments.
Prien warns against government with the left
The words from the ranks of the CDU are even clearer. Federal Education Minister Karin Prien warns of the consequences for the safety of Jewish citizens if left-wing top candidate Eralp becomes governing mayor. At Maischberger, the CDU politician, who has Jewish roots, said: "Jews will no longer be safe in Berlin if this mayor is elected."
She “now expects the Greens and, by the way, the SPD to be clear about the radical left that exists here in Berlin.” Prien was “outraged that anyone could even come up with the idea of supporting such a party.” She accused the Greens and the SPD of "to a certain extent a double standard": "Even if you shouldn't equate the AfD and the Left, it is still a radical party."
If a government with the Left does not come into being in Berlin, an alliance between the CDU, the Greens and the SPD would also be possible. As the largest coalition partner, the CDU could then continue to provide the governing mayor.
Central Council sees structural problem
According to the President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, there is a deep structural problem with the understanding of democracy on the left. It was no accident that "criminal clan leaders and terror supporters were tolerated," he explained in a statement with a view to the Left's election party in Neukölln. "Against this background, the party leadership's previous action plans are revealed to be mere lip service." Subsequent distancing is completely unbelievable.
The events in Neukölln revealed a systematic pattern "in which anti-Semitism in parts of the left is trivialized and disguised as supposed political activism." In the direction of the SPD and the Greens, Schuster said: "Anyone who paves the way for the left in Berlin into a state government and thus into the Red City Hall is endangering our social cohesion and Jewish life in the capital."
Incidents on election night
The aforementioned election party of the Left district association Neukölln on Sunday evening caused a great stir. In addition to a well-known clan figure, an anti-Israel activist who is said to be close to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) was also present. The EU has classified the latter as a terrorist organization.
In addition, the left-wing Bundestag member Ferat Koçak came under pressure because he was in contact via chat with a son of the extended Remmo family from the Arab clan milieu. Several members of this family were convicted of numerous crimes and acts of violence.
The Left leadership has repeatedly distanced itself from these and similar incidents. Top candidate Eralp and federal party leader Ines Schwerdtner emphasized several times that they stood for the protection of Jewish life.
Meanwhile, the parliamentary manager of the Green parliamentary group, Irene Mihalic, suggested that Koçak resign from his Bundestag mandate. From their point of view, it was not enough that he temporarily did not want to take part in the meetings of the Interior Committee. "Now he gets 11,833 euros a month for nothing." At least from her group's point of view, Koçak should be excluded from the left-wing faction.
