Berlin Mayoral Candidate’s Private Remarks Ignite Coalition Tensions

Berlin’s Left Party mayoral candidate Elif Eralp faced criticism after internal comments, accidentally included in a returned interview transcript to *Der Spiegel*, referenced “people with connections to Hamas.” The incident emerged following the recent Berlin election, in which the Left Party, the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens together secured a governing majority.

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Eralp’s campaign emphasized a pro-Palestinian stance that helped mobilize voters, while Jewish organizations have accused the Left Party of antisemitism—a charge the party denies. The Left Party has also advocated for reducing police numbers, a policy position that contrasts with concerns about security threats linked to extremist groups.

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• Ibrahim Ibrahim, identified by *Der Spiegel* as a pro-Palestinian agitator present at the party’s election-night celebration, issued a statement through his lawyers rejecting any affiliation with the Left Party and categorically denying support for terrorism.

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• Former Berlin mayor Michael Müller (SPD) warned that Eralp could be vulnerable to blackmail because of the disclosed remarks.

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• Stefan Evers, the CDU mayoral candidate, argued that Eralp’s reluctance to name suspected terrorist sympathizers reveals a contradiction between her personal safety concerns and her party’s stance.

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• “If the woman who is supposed to govern Berlin in the future is so afraid for herself and her family that she hesitates to publicly name terrorist sympathizers, while parts of her own party are working hand in hand with those very circles, then reasonable voices within the Greens and [Social Democrats] must finally pull the emergency brake,” — Stefan Evers

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