Left in Berlin: Vanessa Emde “of course” wants to continue exercising her mandate

The controversial left-wing politician Vanessa Emde has rejected her party executive's request to withdraw from the Berlin House of Representatives. She refuses to give up her mandate.

“Of course I will continue to exercise my mandate!” says a statement from Emde. She firmly rejects the state executive's demand for withdrawal. “Democratically obtained mandates are not subject to negotiation.”

Emde is accused, among other things, of denying Israel's right to exist. Like all Left MPs, she signed a declaration against anti-Semitism at the constituent parliamentary group meeting on October 13th. It contains commitments to the protection of Jewish life in Berlin, to Israel's right to exist and to a two-state solution that should enable both Israel's security and the self-determination of the Palestinians.

Emde then distanced himself from this in an Instagram video and provoked, among other things, the statement that states - unlike people - have no right to exist. The leadership of the Berlin Left called on Emde to return its mandate on Friday, citing a refusal to work together. “We no longer trust her,” said state chairmen Wolter and Maximilian Schirmer after a board meeting. The mandate is not an “I-AG”.

Demonstrated against their own party conference

Emde now announced that she would not enter into a coalition without the consistent implementation of the referendum on the socialization of large housing companies and without “Palestine solidarity”. In addition, a coalition is not allowed to make any social cuts. »The repression, intimidation and racist police violence must end and freedom of expression, assembly and art must be protected in Berlin. That’s what I was elected for and that’s what I’m committed to.”

"Obviously I'm doing this on the basis of our current party resolutions and the party's elected representatives agreements," she claims. A decision to describe and condemn the “Israeli crimes” against the Palestinians as genocide is an explicit basis for their political actions – also in the future.

The behavior of the newly elected members of the House of Representatives in the Neukölln district on September 20th has been the subject of discussion for weeks and is putting a strain on talks about a possible government between the Left, the SPD and the Greens. Since Emde does not want to give up her mandate, she is now threatened with exclusion from the parliamentary group. The prominent left-wing politician Gregor Gysi, among others, has already spoken out in favor of this.

Emde herself recently continued to provoke her own party. At the state party conference last weekend, instead of appearing as a delegate in the hall, she appeared outside at a rally against the Berlin Left. There she expressed solidarity with a controversial pro-Palestinian activist who, according to experts, is committed to the terrorist group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).