New clan affair among the Berlin left: activists of the Barbakh clan at an election party

The left in Berlin may be facing a new clan debate. After the fuss surrounding the presence of Berlin clan leader Issa Remmo at an election party in Neukölln, according to a report in the “Tagesspiegel”, two activists from the Palestinian Barbakh clan, known from social media, were apparently also at the party’s celebration.

One of the men interviewed the controversial Neukölln left-wing top candidate Ahmed Abed at the election party, the newspaper reported. The lawyer with Palestinian roots wants to become district mayor with the support of the SPD and the Greens. The Left got 32 percent of the votes in Neukölln.

According to the report, the same activist also spoke with the Neukölln Left Party district leader Jorinde Schulz and the newly elected district councilor Basem Said. On election day, Said shared the call of an extremist initiative on Instagram and then wrote: “God made everything possible so that we could be successful.” Schulz told the “Tagesspiegel” that many interviews were given on election evening.

According to “Tagesspiegel”, a second activist from the Barbakh clan filmed Ibrahim Ibrahim in front of the stage during the celebration. Ibrahim is considered a supporter of the terrorist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

Investigators classify a double-digit number of family members as security-relevant

The case is also explosive because of the background of the Barbakh family. According to the report, many of their relatives only came to Germany from the Gaza Strip in 2024. According to “Tagesspiegel”, investigators classify a double-digit number of the supposedly more than 300 family members in Berlin as security-relevant. Some are said to have appeared at Gaza demonstrations in Berlin wearing Hamas identification signs.

According to information from “Bild”, one of the two social media activists is Ryad Aref. In his Instagram profile he describes himself as a “Palestine activist from Gaza”.

Aref also filmed MP Ahmed Abed at the election party. In the past, according to “Bild”, he insulted the mayor of Neukölln’s twin town Bat Yam, Tzvika Brot, as a “genocider” and repeatedly appeared at anti-Jewish demonstrations.

For the Berlin Left, the debate comes at an inopportune time. The party is currently holding exploratory talks with the SPD and the Greens.