World
BERLÍN Calls grow to halt Berlin coalition talks after Elif Eralp controversy
Green Party co-leader Franziska Brantner said she understands the fears voiced by Berlin Left politician Elif Eralp. Conservative parliamentary leader Thorsten Frei, however, urged SPD and Greens to end coalition talks with her party.
Political tensions in Berlin rose after it emerged, as Der Spiegel reported, that Berlin Left lead candidate Elif Eralp had voiced fears regarding Hamas sympathizers.
According to the magazine, Union parliamentary leader Thorsten Frei of the CDU called on the SPD and the Greens to stop coalition negotiations with the Left Party in Berlin. In remarks published by the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger and cited by Der Spiegel, Frei argued that a party that tolerates cooperation with Hamas sympathizers in its own ranks cannot credibly take responsibility for the security of millions of Berlin residents.
Der Spiegel also reported that Eralp, who wants to become Berlin’s governing mayor, believes her family’s safety could be at risk if she speaks explicitly about a well-known Palestinian activist. The outlet said the assessment comes from an internal note by Eralp, in which she and her husband said they were afraid of those people. The remark referred to Ibrahim Ibrahim, described as a Hamas sympathizer.
Frei further said, according to the same coverage, that no one should have to fear for themselves or their family, including Eralp, and called it especially disturbing that parts of her own party were aligning with the extremist milieu she is said to fear.
Green federal co-leader Franziska Brantner, for her part, expressed understanding for Eralp’s position, according to comments published by the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger and cited by Der Spiegel. Brantner said Eralp’s fear was understandable and added that people threatened by extremists and organized crime need sympathy and, above all, protection.
Brantner also said that a determined fight against such networks should be at the top of the agenda for any new state government and argued, in that same account, that anyone seeking to act credibly must be consistent even when such structures reach into their own party.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
