Full Breakdown
Die Linke’s Berlin Election Drive Faces Antisemitism Scrutiny
By Drooid · · How we work
Die Linke’s Berlin Election Campaign and Antisemitism Controversy
Germany’s far-left Die Linke party is contesting Berlin’s state-parliament and mayoral election, with charismatic 45-year-old Elif Eralp as its lead candidate. The party’s Berlin street campaign, modeled after Zohran Mamdani’s New York mayoral bid, emphasizes housing and affordability. Polls place Die Linke level with the ruling Christian Democrats (CDU), while both will likely need the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens to form a governing coalition.
The campaign’s momentum was disrupted in late August when rapper Dahabflex performed at a Die Linke rally in Neukölln, delivering a song that referenced “Yalla, yalla intifada,” “Death to the IDF,” and the PFLP terrorist group. The incident sparked a heated debate over antisemitism within the party’s Berlin branch.
Background & Party Shift
Founded in 2007 from an alliance that included the successor to East Germany’s SED, Die Linke historically housed a pragmatic wing with pro-Israel positions. Since 2024, an influx of younger activists galvanized by the Gaza war has shifted the party’s internal dynamics, prompting several resignations and raising concerns about a growing antisemitism problem, especially in the Neukölln district, which has a large migrant population.
Data & Statistics
- Berlin’s Jewish population: estimated 30,000-50,000, the largest in Germany.
- Jewish Community of Berlin: about 12,000 registered members.
- CDU poll share: just under 20 percent, lacking viable coalition partners.
- Election date: Berliners will elect a new state parliament and mayor on September 20 (scheduled).
- October 7 2023 (scheduled) cooperation with “Vereinigtes Palästinensisches Nationalkommitee,” an organization Berlin’s domestic intelligence says includes Hamas supporters and the PFLP.
Official Statements & Responses
She also released a five-point plan to protect and promote Jewish life, claiming it is the only such proposal among Berlin’s mayoral candidates.
Criticism & Opposition
Gideon Joffe, chairman of the Jewish Community of Berlin, called the five-point plan “useless” and “cowardly,” noting it omits antisemitism among Muslims, which he views as the greatest threat to Jewish life.
The CDU’s new lead candidate, Stefan Evers, has echoed this stance, calling on the SPD and Greens to exclude Die Linke from coalition talks.
The election outcome will hinge on whether Eralp can convince potential partners that she can curb antisemitism within her party.