State politics | Left in Berlin: Don't let anything burn

In the spotlight: Top candidate Elif Eralp at the Left state party conference Photo: dpa/Sebastian Gollnow The nervousness currently prevailing in the party leadership became clear at the beginning of the Left state party conference on Friday. Actually, the greetings that open the party conferences are not a very controversial matter. The delegates first dutifully applaud the speech by a representative of the school strike against conscription. Until the young woman talks about the police violence that occurred at the demonstration at Leopoldplatz in Wedding. "If there are armed clans in Berlin, then they are the ones who run into our demonstrations with clubs," she shouts to the delegates.

As the student stepped down from the lectern, state manager Bjoern Tielebein stormed onto the stage. He says we stand in solidarity with the conscientious objectors. "But I want to make it clear that that is not our language." After there was nationwide discussion about the fact that the major criminal Issa Remmo showed up at the Left Party's election party in Neukölln on Sunday, people want to avoid the impression that the allegations are not being taken seriously. “The police cannot be equated with organized crime,” states state chairwoman Kerstin Wolter shortly afterwards. "It's there to fight organized crime." This line doesn't go down well with everyone. A representative of the youth organization Solid complains about the “de-solidarization” with the anti-militarists. "With the aim of governing, nothing can be said anymore that the Greens and the SPD don't like," he says indignantly.

An exaggerated, but essentially not wrong, analysis. The absolute desire to translate the election victory into participation in government is evident in every speech made by the party leaders on Friday evening in the nd House. “With Elif Eralp as Governing Mayor, a signal is sent out not only to Germany, but to the whole world: hope is back,” says state chairwoman Wolter in her speech. Shortly afterwards, the Eralp in question issues the motto that now applies: “Let’s go!”

Tones critical of the government can hardly be heard. Even the most radical government opponents are disarming themselves somewhat after their election success. The “Left in the Left” network – a rather obscure association with no relevant following outside of the youth association – has so far spoken out in principle against any participation in government. A flyer distributed at the entrance now appears almost conciliatory. The Left Party should not enter the government “at any price,” it says.

And the government skeptics anchored in the party committees also kept their feet still on Friday. Intra-party diplomacy in the background ensures this. The government opponents were actually relying on well-tempered escalation: the party congress should elect the exploratory team, according to a motion submitted by the party left. In this way, “the breadth of the party” should be represented in the negotiations. The party leadership had previously commissioned the two state chairmen Kerstin Wolter and Max Schirmer, top candidate Elif Eralp and parliamentary group leader Tobias Schulze to carry out the explorations. They are all considered to be oriented towards realpolitik. There is also Wenke Christoph as a “political note taker”. The former state secretary and top candidate for a senatorial post is an attractive figure for the party left, which sees her as a reflection of a pragmatic government politician.

The government skeptics hoped that another exploratory team would be able to cause the negotiations to fail. "Where there is a demand to give in, resistance should be shown," says the motion, which is not willing to compromise - although the Left Party won the election, it is dependent on the two coalition partners, the Greens and the SPD, whose factions are collectively larger than their own.

But the wind can be taken out of the sails of government opponents. After the party conference has already begun, a joint compromise proposal from the state executive board and fundis is distributed among the delegates. The exploratory team is given support there. For this purpose, party leftists should then be involved. “When it comes to the composition of the umbrella group, the state executive committee ensures balance and representation of the breadth of the party,” it says, with a view to the coalition negotiations that follow the explorations. In the end, fewer than ten delegates voted against starting explorations.

"With Elif Eralp as Governing Mayor, a signal is sent out not only to Germany, but to the whole world: hope is back."

In terms of content, the decision takes steps in the direction of the SPD. "We will necessarily agree on the implementation of the socialization of large housing groups in the discussions with the SPD and the Greens," one can read, before the next sentence is weakened: "The agreements on socialization should contain a binding timetable and financing commitment for the sponsor of the socialization." The signal to the future coalition partners: "Expropriation" does not mean "expropriation overnight."

There have recently been increasing signals from them that should make the Left Party hopeful. “Make Berlin better for the people with Red-Green-Red!” is a call signed by 50 Social Democrats, of which Social Senator Cansel Kiziltepe is the most prominent. "In contrast to other recent elections, the dissatisfaction with the policies of the black-red governments at the federal and state levels in the Berlin election did not manifest itself in a shift to the right, but rather opened up opportunities for a progressive Senate coalition," write the SPD members. “The voters can expect us not to let this opportunity go to waste.”

However, there is a crucial asterisk attached to the call: “The protection of Jewish life in Berlin and Israel’s right to exist are non-negotiable. “In view of the incidents of the last few days and weeks, the Left Party in particular is called upon to act within its ranks,” write the Social Democrats willing to form a coalition. Unsavory situations arose again and again during the election campaign. Most recently, there was outrage when Ibrahim Ibrahim, a supporter of the terrorist Palestinian group PFLP, was present at the Left Party's election party in Neukölln.

The party leadership is trying to show that they are prepared to criticize themselves without accepting any reproach. The debate has lost “every measure and balance,” complains state chairman Max Schirmer. He criticizes the fact that some commentators associate the Left Party with Nazis. “This disqualifies you from any debate.”

His co-chair Kerstin Wolter explains that the party committees and arbitration courts will decide on the consequences for border crossings. “I would like to see more distinction between legitimate criticism of Israel and anti-Semitism,” she says. Your party stands for Israel's right to exist, but also for a Palestinian state. Mistakes were made in the party. “Sentences were spoken that frightened Jews,” said Wolter, alluding to the rapper Dahabflex, who threatened an “intifada” at a left-wing election campaign event. “Wherever this happens, it doesn’t happen in our name,” assures Wolter.

The sentences are accompanied by prolonged applause. However, some parts of the party still seem to have limited awareness of the problem. Shortly afterwards, a delegate from the youth organization Solid claimed in the debate: “We don’t have an anti-Semitism problem. Point."

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