Formation of government in Berlin: EKD council chairwoman calls for clear demarcation from anti-Semites

Würzburg/Berlin. According to the council chairwoman of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Kirsten Fehrs, parties must turn away from people who make anti-Semitic comments. There is no question “that a party that wants to assume government responsibility must clearly differentiate itself from people who represent anti-Semitic positions,” said Fehrs at the start of the EKD synod in Würzburg, with a view to the formation of a government in Berlin under the possible leadership of the Left.

The background is the way the Left in Berlin deals with its controversial MP Vanessa Emde. She refuses to follow her party executive's request to relinquish her mandate. Among other things, she is accused of denying Israel's right to exist. The behavior of the MPs has been the subject of discussion for weeks. Emde was newly elected to the House of Representatives on September 20th.

Fehrs said that the same standard applies to all parties in the Protestant Church. "Human dignity, democracy and protection against discrimination are non-negotiable. And anti-Semitism fundamentally contradicts the Christian faith, and we oppose this resolutely." The EKD distinguishes between the behavior of individual people and the positions and decisions of a party as a whole.

The 7th meeting of the 13th Synod of the EKD will take place in the Mainstadt in northern Bavaria until November 11th. The conference with discussion forums and working groups carries the motto “Continuing together - Church as a workshop for democracy education and intergenerational learning as an expression of lived faith”. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is expected as a guest on Tuesday. The Synod is the church parliament of the EKD. In total, almost 17.4 million people belong to the EKD.