Left under pressure to tackle anti-Semitism charges after Berlin win

Calls are growing for The Left in Berlin to take action against allegations of anti-Semitism within its ranks, after the far-left party came first in last week's state elections in the capital.

The Left - a successor of the socialist party that ruled the former East Germany - defeated the centre-right Christian Democrats of Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Sunday's vote, putting its lead candidate, Elif Eralp, in prime position to become the party's first Berlin mayor - and the city's first leader with Turkish heritage.

But the party, which took 25.7% of the vote, will have to rely on partners to form a state government, most likely the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens.

Both parties have called on The Left to take concrete steps to show that it is serious about protecting Jewish life in the capital, with parts of the Berlin chapter long facing accusations of anti-Semitism over their positions on the Middle East conflict.

Sergey Lagodinsky, a member of the European Parliament for the Greens, urged The Left on Tuesday to expel members who hold anti-Semitic views if necessary.

"If the leadership of the Berlin Left Party is serious about combating anti-Semitism, then it must take structural steps to distance itself from anti-Semites within its own ranks," he told news magazine Der Spiegel.

"This could go as far as expulsion from the party and the parliamentary group."

Calls for 'concrete measures'

Accusations of anti-Semitism, which particularly centre on The Left's local chapter in the Neukölln district, have taken on new significance since the party came out on top in a Berlin state election for the first time.

The issue rose in importance after a campaign event in Neukölln - which has a big Arab population - featuring a rapper who chanted "Death to the IDF" in reference to the Israeli military.

Mayoral hopeful Eralp, 45, distanced herself from the comments and has disputed allegations of anti-Semitism within the party. In May, she published a five-point plan in which she vowed to protect and strengthen Jewish life in Berlin.

But pressure has been mounting on her to take more decisive steps to combat the allegations, including from within the local Jewish community.

Israeli ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor on Tuesday warned of an "immediate existential threat" to the Jewish community in Berlin in light of The Left's win.

"The strong performance of The Left in the Berlin election should concern everyone who cares about the continued existence of Jewish life in this city," Prosor told dpa.

He accused the party of having displayed "utterly uninhibited anti-Semitism."

Prosor called on The Left to present a concrete plan for "how it intends to stop and root out the systematic hatred of Israel and Jews within its own ranks." The "time of empty promises" must come to a definitive end with Sunday's election, he said. "What matters now are concrete measures and verifiable results alone."

Potential talks next week

Green MEP Lagodinsky also urged the far-left party to commit to Israel's right to exist, calling on it to "tackle anti-Zionism within its own ranks."

"Anti-Zionism denies the existence of a member of the international community and must not be fostered by any civilized party in Germany," he said.

The Left on Tuesday said it had invited representatives of the Greens and the SPD to hold preliminary talks on forming a government.

It did not give a date for a potential meeting, but said talks could begin as early as next week, following a party conference on Friday.