Berlin mayoral candidate Elif Eralp under pressure over accidentally published interview notes

Notes sent by mistake

Elif Eralp, the Left Party (Die Linke) candidate who topped the local elections in Berlin last month and is preparing to become the city's mayor, found herself at the center of a scandal after an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel. During the internal process of reviewing the text, she accidentally sent the journalists edits in which, according to the magazine, she explained that she could not name a specific pro-Palestinian activist out of concern for her safety. 'I cannot put myself and my family at risk for Der Spiegel,' the magazine quotes her edit, written in a Word document sent to reporters by mistake. According to Der Spiegel, she also asked her press secretary and party colleagues whether the interview should be canceled altogether, and remarked that she should not have agreed to it in the first place.

What Eralp was asked about

The interview, conducted on Monday in Eralp's office at the Berlin House of Representatives, concerned accusations of antisemitism against members of her party. They arose after people with questionable backgrounds attended the Left Party's election victory celebrations in the city-state. In particular, a well-known pro-Palestinian activist linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which the EU classifies as a terrorist organization, attended the celebration in the Neukölln district. According to Der Spiegel, Ibrahim Ibrahim had previously called Yahya Sinwar, the former Hamas leader in Gaza, who is considered one of the organizers of the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, a 'martyr' and a 'hero'; he himself rejects accusations of antisemitism and of supporting terrorism or Hamas. When the magazine asked whether the incident in question involved Ibrahim, Eralp first answered 'yes,' but then returned the transcript with the question crossed out and a comment about her family's safety. In the approved version of the text, Der Spiegel believes, her notes were accidentally left in, stating that the Berlin police had previously advised her not to comment on specific individuals. The magazine explained the publication by saying that the political significance of the notes outweighs safety considerations, and asked whether a woman afraid to name a supporter of terrorists can be responsible for the safety of all Berliners.

Reaction from coalition partners

The scandal intensified on the eve of coalition negotiations between the Left Party, the SPD, and the Greens, scheduled to take place in Berlin next month. SPD politician Karl Lauterbach advised his party to distance itself from an alliance with the Left, while the faction's spokesperson on internal affairs, Sebastian Fiedler, said that further coalition negotiations with this party 'must be out of the question for any social democrat.' Green parliamentary group leader Katharina Dröge asked in Süddeutsche Zeitung whether Eralp would continue to allow herself to be influenced by those within her own ranks who are close to criminal groups and tolerate threats against their lead candidate. Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, warned that the SPD and the Greens must not hand over responsibility for Berlin and the security of the Jewish community to the Left, and stated that history shows the party's inability to distance itself from supporters of terrorists and antisemites.

Eralp's response

On Thursday, Elif Eralp responded sharply, calling the unfolding debate 'truly toxic,' promising not to be intimidated and to take a firm stance 'against organized crime, organizations that glorify violence, violence and terror.' She declined to comment on the substance of the Der Spiegel publication, but assured that she would 'ensure the safety of all Berliners.' She was supported by Bundestag Vice President and fellow Left Party member Bodo Ramelow, who called the Der Spiegel piece 'more than questionable': in his words, the report 'targeted a person who feels vulnerable and made them even more vulnerable,' and internal communications were used to portray the 'archaic cliché' of a 'weak woman.' The parties to the conflict differ fundamentally: critics see Eralp's notes as proof of her unsuitability to lead the city, while she and her supporters see the unacceptable disclosure of internal communications and security matters. This dispute is to be resolved, in particular, during the coalition negotiations, the outcome of which will determine the composition of Berlin's future government.