New Delhi: Elif Eralp, the frontrunner to be Berlin’s next mayor, set off a controversy after internal notes were “accidentally” sent to a German publication, highlighting her fears over people “with connections to Hamas” linked to her political party.
Eralp led the campaign of Die Linke (The Left), in the recently concluded local elections in Berlin, a city home to 3.9 million people. The Left won 45 seats of 153 in Berlin’s House of Representatives, while the Far-Right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) finished third with 29 seats.
The leader of The Left in Berlin sat down for an interview with Der Spiegel, the German publication, and her office when viewing the transcripts of the interview, accidentally returned the annotated transcript (standard practice in Germany) with Eralp’s private comments to her office.
Der Spiegel asked Eralp about the issue of anti-semitism in her party, and she had highlighted that her party had crossed boundaries at certain points during the campaign. When pushed further on whether she was referring to Ibrahim Ibrahim, an activist for Palestine, who attended the Left’s victory party in Berlin, Eralp had said “yes”.
In private comments apparently to her assistants, inadvertently included in the transcript sent to Der Spiegel, Eralp referred to advice she had previously received from Berlin’s State Criminal Police Office (LKA) about publicly naming individuals linked to organised crime: “The LKA said at the time that they recommend never naming specific individuals. Back then, it was about organised crime. Now it’s about people with connections to Hamas.”
“I cannot put myself or my family in danger for the sake of Spiegel. What do we do now? Should we cancel the entire interview?”
The comments have set off a political controversy for Eralp, whose party was seeking a coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens to lead Berlin for the first time in over three decades, since the reunification of Germany.
Ibrahim has rejected allegations of anti-semitism and in a statement shared via his lawyers to Politico Europe, clarified that he was not a member of the Left.
In another private comment in Eralp’s notes, she had said that neither she nor her husband were keen to name “specific individuals”, adding that “he is afraid of these people, and so am I”. The Left’s leader and Der Spiegel did not reveal who the individual to be named was.
In Germany, while interviewees are allowed to delete answers from transcripts, they cannot delete the question posed by the journalist. Eralp said she should “never have accepted the interview” given that she could not delete the question.
“Previously, when they mentioned several incidents—including one involving Ibrahin—I condemned them in general terms; now, however, it’s being brought up as a specific, individual case,” Eralp further wrote in the annotated note.
After publishing the exchange, Der Spiegel, noted in the article that Eralp was seemingly “convinced” that she had “reason to fear for her own safety and that of her loved ones”. Der Spiegel further wrote that Ibrahim Ibrahim was a leading figure and part of the Vereinigten Palästinensischen Nationalkomitees or the VPNK, which has been classified as an extremist organisation by authorities in Berlin.
There has been no information so far about Ibrahim planning or being linked to violent attacks across Germany. Nevertheless, various German media reports underline that he has publicly sympathised with Hamas following the 7 October, 2023 terror attacks that left around 1,150 Israelis dead.
The war in Gaza, which has left over 74,000 Palestinians dead has divided European politics. The Left is perceived to have deeper ties with communities linked to supporting Palestine, and a number of candidates from the party in Berlin have faced serious allegations of anti-semitism.
Vanessa Emde, a candidate for the Left in Berlin, is reported to have dismissed the inherent right of states to exist, which Der Spiegel notes is a likely reference to Israel. Emde’s comments had led to the SPD and the Greens suspending exploratory talks with The Left earlier this month, as they sought binding safeguards to prevent the rise of anti-semitism.
Eralp had shown her irritation with the interviewers of Der Spiegel for focusing on the alleged anti-semitism within The Left, rather than issues regarding her goals in governing Berlin.
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which governed Berlin until the latest polls, and finished second, called on the SPD and the Greens to abandon any coalition talks with The Left, following the latest report.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: Far-left party wins Berlin election, pledging to nationalise housing