Joachim Herrmann considers Elif Eralp unsuitable because he is a member of Roter Hilfe

Because of her long-standing membership in the Rote Hilfe association, Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) considers the Berlin left-wing parliamentary group leader Elif Eralp not suitable for the office of head of government.

“Anyone who has supported an association like Rote Hilfe is, in my opinion, out of the question for an office like that of Governing Mayor in Berlin,” said the CSU politician to the German Press Agency in Munich.

The Rote Hilfe is a left-wing extremist organization that is also monitored by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Bavaria and is considered one of the fastest growing left-wing extremist groups nationwide. “The association specifically supports left-wing extremist criminals and regularly only helps these people if they refuse to cooperate with the security authorities,” criticized Herrmann. The association deliberately creates the impression of a “police and arbitrary state”.

“Anyone who promotes something like this is going against our constitutional state and thus against our free-democratic basic order,” argued Herrmann. He added that the issue should have been identified and discussed much earlier. “Citizens deserve to know who they are dealing with before an election. This is particularly true for offices that have central influence on internal security in our country,” said Herrmann.

Left: Eralp left the club last year

The regional association of the Left recently reported to the dpa that Eralp had been a member of the association for several years - until last year. The “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” had previously reported on it.

According to Linke state manager Bjoern Tielebein, Eralp joined the Rote Hilfe while studying law in Hamburg. “Because she wanted to support people who are committed to left-wing and social issues having legal support, even if they don’t have the necessary financial resources themselves,” he said. “She was a passive member for years and left last year before she became the top candidate because of partly different political views.” Their membership has always been transparent on their homepage and that of the House of Representatives.

The Berlin Office for the Protection of the Constitution mentions Rote Hilfe in its most recent annual report as by far the largest left-wing extremist organization in Berlin. Not all members of the association pursue anti-constitutional goals, it says. However, the opposition of the organization and its decision-makers to the free democratic basic order is a reason for observation by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.