Lawsuit before the Constitutional Court: The Left is now also suing the rich

The Left accuses CDU Economics Minister Katherina Reiche of violating the neutrality requirement. That's why the party is trying to force Reiche to delete a video in which she describes the Left as a danger to the German economy and as anti-Semitic with an urgent application to the Federal Constitutional Court.

It's about a video that Reiche posted on the Insta account of the Federal Ministry of Economics. It will be shown on September 23rd at the “Economic Summit for Family Businesses”, organized by the media company ThePioneer. In the video, Reiche warns that it is dangerous for the capital and Germany as an investment location that a party is talking about expropriation and writing it into its program. In addition, it is a party “that openly practices anti-Semitism, that scares the Jews in this city, that fights Jewish life, that cheerfully welcomes organized crime at election parties.”

As an initial reaction, the Left wrote a letter to Reiche last week and asked her to remove the video by Sunday. So far it is still online. Hence the urgent application to the Federal Constitutional Court.

At a press conference on Monday in Berlin, Left co-party leader Luigi Pantisano said: “It cannot be the case that ministers abuse their own communication channels to take action against other political actors or against a possible government under left-wing leadership.” When asked how promising Pantisano thought the lawsuit was, Pantisano said: It is also important to send a message that one cannot simply spread untruths on the left without suffering consequences.

Reiche does not mention the left by name in the video. In the urgent application, however, the Left writes that this is not necessary at all, “given the clear connection to the elections in Berlin and the related topics of anti-Semitism and organized crime.” Topics that have been discussed a lot in connection with the left in recent weeks.

The Left also writes: Reiche disregarded the requirement of neutrality for state organs and violated the Left's right to equal participation in political competition. Reiche unlawfully made “one-sided and party-political” statements in her position as Federal Minister of Economics.

This is “part of a systematic campaign” by the CDU against the Left and is influencing possible exploratory talks in Berlin. The Left, the Greens and the SPD want to finish their preliminary talks there by Wednesday. It is to be expected that Katherina Reiche will use her resources as economics minister to try to disadvantage the left and prevent the formation of a government in Berlin.

In response to a request from the taz, a spokesman for the Ministry of Economic Affairs said on Monday: The urgent application had been received by the ministry. However, no further comment can be made during the ongoing proceedings. In addition, the article clearly refers to “the effects on and threats to Germany as a business location”. The ministry refers to the title of the Insta video: “Making a strong business and investment location.”

The lawsuit against rich people is just the latest in a series that the left is currently pursuing. After its election victory in Berlin, the Left also took legal action against other politicians with legal letters. For example, against CSU Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and a post by Saxony's Interior Minister Armin Schuster, both of which had also described the Left or Left-wing politicians as anti-Semitic. Schuster then deleted a corresponding post on social media.