Vanessa Emde: Berlin left discusses controversial MPs

Vanessa Emde: “I do not take back any of these statements”

Today, the Berlin left once again focuses on the topic of anti-Semitism and positions on Israel and the Middle East conflict. In a digital meeting, the group’s executive committee discusses how to deal with MEP Vanessa Emde, who had triggered several discussions because of her positions critical of Israel. Emde is invited to the consultation. You could threaten the expulsion from the Left group in the House of Representatives.

The newly elected member of parliament from Neukölln had strongly focused on the issue of Palestine solidarity in the election campaign. Among other things, she had argued that there was no right to exist for states, but only for people. Last Thursday, she repeated this explicitly in an Instagram video. I stand by my statements, and I do not take back any of them. ‘

Emde also criticized a statement on anti-Semitism, which she, like all members of the left, had signed two days earlier. In it, the signatories acknowledge, among other things, the right of Israel to exist. After Emde’s criticism, the group leaders declared that they no longer see any basis for cooperation with her.

Meanwhile, the Berlin Greens and the SPD want to start coalition negotiations with the election winner Linke. At a small Green Party congress in the evening, a broad majority approved a corresponding proposal from the party leadership. Shortly before, the SPD state board had also decided on the basis of the exploratory paper of the three parties for coalition talks.

The left is only about it at a party congress on October 31. This is due to the two-week autumn holidays in Berlin. If approved, coalition talks can begin in early November. The state board of the Berlin left, according to a spokesman already in the evening in a counter-vote for starting coalition negotiations with the Greens and SPD.

In the Berlin election on September 20, the left had become the strongest force with 25.7 percent. This is followed by the CDU (18.8 percent), AfD (16.3 percent), Greens (14.3 percent) and – with their historically worst result – the SPD (12.1 percent). The current ruling CDU/SPD coalition has lost its majority. Now an attempt is being made to form a red-green-red government. If this succeeds, the head of the Left Party Elif Eralp could become the first governing mayor of her party in Berlin.

On the exploratory paper presented last Saturday, the Left, the Greens and the SPD had agreed in temporarily laborious negotiations. The discussion about a consistent approach to anti-Semitism, fueled by several incidents in the ranks of the left, made the talks more difficult.

A Berlin alliance against anti-Semitism appealed to the Greens and SPD not to start coalition talks to form a coalition led by the left. "There must be no coalition with this party," it said in an open letter. “We are very concerned that the Left Party does not clearly oppose anti-Semitism in its own ranks,” the authors of the letter said. At demonstrations, representatives of the Left Party are marching partly side by side with anti-Israel activists. According to its own statements, the Alliance includes committed citizens.

Before the soundings, the Left, the Greens and the SPD had agreed on a joint declaration on anti-Semitism, which should be included in the coalition agreement if a government is formed. Sanctions up to the exclusion of groups are envisaged for violations of the agreed principles.