Eralp reacts to Spiegel report

According to the Spiegel report, fear for your own safety? Eralp reacts as of: October 29, 2026 • 5:04 p.m

In comments to a Spiegel interview that were not intended for the public, left-wing politician Elif Eralp worried about her safety. Now she confirmed that she wanted to take clear action against violence.

The Berlin Left parliamentary group leader Elif Eralp came into discussion on Thursday because of a “Spiegel” article. According to the magazine, Eralp did not want to authorize parts of an interview in which Hamas sympathizer Ibrahim Ibrahim was mentioned by name. He is a well-known activist with close ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is classified as a terrorist organization by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. After the House of Representatives election in September, Ibrahim Ibrahim appeared at an election party for the Left Party in Neukölln. Authorizing means releasing quotations, for example before publishing verbatim interviews. This is often part of journalistic practice in Germany.

In its report, the “Spiegel” [Pay Barrier] refers to Eralp’s presumably internal comments on an interview. It is said that these were accidentally sent to the magazine. According to the magazine, the comments indicate that Eralp fears a reaction from the person mentioned or his supporters. “I cannot put myself and my family in danger for SPIEGEL,” Eralp wrote, according to the report. According to its own information, “Spiegel” decided to also report on the comments.

In response to the “Spiegel” report, Eralp made a public statement on Thursday afternoon. Eralp said she did not want to comment specifically on the report and justified this by saying that “Spiegel” had published “private, internal content”. At the same time, she confirmed that as Governing Mayor she wanted to ensure the safety of all Berliners.

“I will take consistent action against any form of organized crime, violence or terror. I stand by the people of Berlin for this and I will enforce it,” said Eralp. "I made it very clear that I would not let anyone intimidate me. And I think that being worried about your own family is completely normal and natural."

Eralp is currently trying to form a coalition with the Greens and the SPD in Berlin under their leadership. The Left became the strongest force in the Berlin House of Representatives election in September. She particularly scored points with the demand for the socialization of large housing companies. However, individual members of the left in the capital are criticized for allegations of anti-Semitism, proximity to radical Palestinian groups and criminal clan members.

Elif Eralp receives support from the Greens. They expressed their confidence in a red-green-red coalition with her as governing mayor. Together they would make combating anti-Semitism, organized crime and extremism a priority, said Green Party leader Bettina Jarasch. "That's why we already agreed in our exploratory paper that we will not skimp on security and that we will place particular priority on combating terrorism, anti-Semitic incitement and extremism."

However, the Berlin SPD leader and top candidate Steffen Krach sounded more distant. Krach said on the sidelines of the inaugural session of the new parliament that he was not surprised that Berlin had a problem with organized crime. "I always said that during the election campaign that we need a strong Office for the Protection of the Constitution, that we need a strong police force," said Krach - and added, with a view to the Left: "There were definitely different opinions about it." It is now even clearer that this fight against organized crime must be intensified again in the next legislative period.

The CDU accuses Elif Eralp of lacking assertiveness. The CDU parliamentary group leader Stefan Evers said that he has clearly seen, especially since the election, that Ms. Eralp is having great difficulty in asserting her positions in the parliamentary group. "And since the Spiegel article, we can clearly see why that is the case: she is obviously limited in her options and is exercising restraint here for various reasons that are not just political," Evers continued. Evers questioned how Eralp, as Governing Mayor of Berlin, wanted to ensure the safety of millions of people when she herself was afraid of the Islamist environment in her party.

AfD parliamentary group leader Kristin Brinker said the "Spiegel" report made it clear that the issue of clan connections on the Left "apparently goes far beyond the case of Bundestag member Koçak." The Greens and the SPD should “immediately end” the coalition talks, demanded Brinker. The Vice President of the German Bundestag, Bodo Ramelow (Left), in turn criticized “Spiegel’s” approach. By reporting on internal communication, "a person who feels unprotected and communicates this internally is deliberately injured," Ramelow told Stern.

Broadcast: rbb 88.8, October 29, 2026, 2:30 p.m. Audio: rbb 88.8, October 29, 2026, Natascha Gutschmidt