Berlin left-wing mayor candidate faces row over Hamas remarks

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 29 Oct, 21:04 · Archive

Elif Eralp's private comments about people with Hamas connections were accidentally revealed in an interview transcript.

Elif Eralp, the Left Party candidate on course to become Berlin's next mayor after his party won local elections last month, faces accusations of hypocrisy after private security concerns were accidentally revealed in an interview with Der Spiegel. When returning an annotated transcript to the magazine, Eralp's office included internal comments in which she referred to advice from Berlin's State Criminal Police about not naming individuals linked to organized crime. She then wrote: 'Now it's about people with connections to Hamas.' She added: 'I cannot put myself and my family in danger for SPIEGEL. What do we do now? Cancel the entire interview?'

The controversy centres on a pro-Palestinian activist who attended the Left Party's election-night celebration. Der Spiegel asked Eralp about antisemitism allegations within her party, and she acknowledged that boundaries had been crossed at some campaign events. Jewish organizations have accused the Left Party of antisemitism over its pro-Palestinian stance; the party denies this.

The incident risks complicating efforts by Eralp's Left Party to form a coalition with the Social Democrats and Greens. In a statement, the activist said he was not a Left Party member and categorically rejected accusations of supporting terrorism.

How it is being reported

• Berlin's Elif Eralp under fire over Der Spiegel interviewLeft candidate Elif Eralp has sparked controversy after Der Speigel reported she was advised against mentioning a pro-Palestinian activist for fear of reprisals against her family.DW News · 29 Oct, 20:51
• Left-wing Berlin mayor candidate’s private Hamas remarks complicate coalition talksElif Eralp's office accidentally returned an interview transcript containing internal comments and annotations.Politico Europe · 29 Oct, 19:29

In this story: Elif Eralp · Left Party · Der Spiegel · Berlin

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