Left Berlin | Election victory, but no applause: The left is under constant fire

In its decisions, the Left is committed to the security of Jewish life in Germany - but also to criticism of the current Israeli government. Photo: dpa/Hendrik Schmidt The success of the Berlin Left Party in the elections to the House of Representatives is causing discontent in federal politics. The SPD leadership, namely party chairman Lars Klingbeil from the right wing of the party, as well as party chairman Bärbel Bas and general secretary Tim Klüssendorf, both from the left wing of the party, set out the conditions for a coalition with the party in a post on Instagram. “Anti-Semitic slogans have no place in our society or in our politics,” said the SPD leader in the article. The left will have to be measured by this and must not leave an inch of space for “clear anti-Semitism” or “clan criminals in their ranks.” Now the responsibility lies with the left.

The left is defending itself against the violent accusations. “Especially at a time when right-wing extremists are on the rise, democrats must not allow themselves to be divided,” explained state managing director Bjoern Tielebein in a written statement when asked by the German Press Agency. »The left has a long anti-fascist tradition. Our members and many people are committed to fighting hatred and violence, against racism and anti-Semitism, and for a just and peaceful world," says Tielebein. "We share this commitment with the members of the SPD and Alliance90/The Greens." Every new Berlin state government must be measured by its diverse and powerful support for this fight.

The statement from the SPD bosses is the latest chapter in a debate about the Berlin Left that has gotten completely out of control. This emerged as the clear winner in the elections to the Berlin state parliament last Sunday with 25.7 percent of the vote. After three years under a CDU-SPD Senate, a red-green-red coalition led by the Left Party would now be possible - that would be a novelty in Berlin. The pressure, on the one hand on the Berlin Left and on the other on the possible coalition partners in Berlin, has been increasing ever since the election. The Federal Greens have also made more than critical comments about a possible coalition in Berlin. Green Party leader Felix Banaszak said on the ARD talk show “Maischberger” about a possible red-green-red coalition that talks could also fail.

"The left has a long anti-fascist tradition."

Central to the dispute are allegations of anti-Semitism that have been made against parts of the Berlin left for months. The most heated discussion was about the appearance of a rapper at the Linke Neukölln who used the lyric “Death to the IDF”. Afterwards he explained that he was of course criticizing the institution. The allegations are now being used by political rivals to portray the party as a whole as anti-Semitic, most recently by Federal Education Minister Karin Prien (CDU), who also claimed to Maischberger: "Jews will no longer be able to feel safe in Berlin if this mayor is elected." She is sounding the same tune as the Israeli ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor. He had said that the Left's election victory posed an "immediate threat to the existence" of the Jewish community in the city and attested to the party's "systematic hatred of Israel and Jews" and "uninhibited anti-Semitism."

Berlin Left Party leader Kerstin Wolter rejected Prosor's accusation in a statement "with all due politeness and clarity." "Israel's right to exist and the protection of Jewish life are clear decisions of the left." They will work for this. Elif Eralp will bring the city back together as the next governing mayor. »We unequivocally stand by Jewish life in Berlin, which must be able to be lived safely, visibly and self-determinedly. We also stand by Arab, Muslim and Palestinian life in our city," Wolter continued.

"It's true: the left clearly criticizes the current Israeli government policy; that's part of a democracy," said Wolter. However, it would be unfair to defame this criticism across the board as anti-Semitism. »We just as clearly reject any form of glorification of terror and calls for violence. Our goal is a Berlin free of anti-Semitism, racism and all forms of violence.«

Criticism of the public debate about anti-Semitism on the left is now becoming louder. The historian Stefanie Student-Springorum, head of the Center for Anti-Semitism Research at the Technical University of Berlin, told the German Press Agency, "I see an exaggerated discussion here, which is obviously also about influencing the formation of a government in Berlin." Anti-Semitism exists in all parties.

Peter Ullrich made similar comments in the Taz. The “crazy debate” is losing all connection to reality, says the professor of sociology at the HWR Berlin and fellow at the Center for Anti-Semitism Research at the TU Berlin. The debate has the function of weakening the left in order to put pressure on it and on the SPD and Greens not to form a coalition with it. "If it is claimed that Berlin will become unsafe for Jews as a result of the election of the left, there is no empirical support whatsoever."

But how does the federal SPD come to insinuate that there are “clan criminals” in the ranks of the left? The current excitement is Ferat Koçak, a member of the Bundestag from Neukölln. Although he was not part of the election campaign, his alleged contacts with organized crime are being hotly debated. On Sunday evening, Issa Remmo, who is considered the “clan boss,” briefly appeared at the Neukölln Left election party. When he was recognized, he was thrown out and Neukölln Left Party leader Jorinde Schulz immediately declared that they had neither political nor personal relationships with this person. Left-wing leading candidate Elif Eralp also declared on ZDF: “We have nothing to do with organized crime.”

On Monday, Issa Remmo's son published pictures of a chat with left-wing politician Koçak on Instagram. Koçak himself confirmed the authenticity of the chats and described them as a mistake: "Contacts between elected officials and people who are attributed to organized crime cannot be justified by anything," the politician explained on X. He did not know who it was at the time. Left parliamentary group leader Sören Pellmann then explained that it had been agreed with Koçak that he would withdraw until “full transparency” had been achieved.

"We need a social city and we have to talk about how we can finance it."

Martha Kleedörfer, deputy state chairwoman of the Berlin Left, sees a dangerous strategy behind the current statements by the SPD and the Greens, as she explains in a video on Instagram. There is talk in the press about the alleged anti-Semitism problems in the Left, but not about the fact that the Left achieved a deserved electoral success "because it spoke about the issues that Berliners find important, namely affordable housing and social justice," said the directly elected representative from the Mitte district. The Left has made the best proposals for these issues. "We need a social city and we have to talk about how we can finance it." Nor is there any talk about how we can achieve the socialization of large housing companies and reverse the social cuts of the last legislative period.

The SPD and the Greens would try to drive up the price of possible coalition talks and exploit accusations of anti-Semitism, said Kleedörfer. »One consequence of this is that actual anti-Semitism, which exists in Germany and which must be combated resolutely, is no longer recognized as such by many people because the term has been deflated. In the end, this only benefits anti-Semites.” with agencies

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