Left-wing Berlin mayor candidate’s private Hamas remarks complicate coalition talks
Elif Eralp's office accidentally returned an interview transcript containing internal comments and annotations.
BERLIN — Left-wing Berlin mayoral candidate Elif Eralp found herself in controversy after private remarks about people with connections to Hamas were revealed in an interview transcript. The remarks have raised questions about her party's stance on policing and the Middle East conflict, potentially complicating coalition talks with the Social Democrats and Greens.
Eralp's Left Party has been accused of antisemitism by Jewish organizations, though the party denies these claims. The controversy arose when Eralp, in a private conversation, mentioned advice received from Berlin's State Criminal Police Office recommending against naming individuals linked to organized crime, which she now applies to people connected to Hamas.
This has led to accusations of hypocrisy from her political opponents. Stefan Evers, the CDU's mayoral candidate, highlighted the contradiction between Eralp's concerns and her party's position on reducing police numbers. Eralp, who still aims to become Berlin's mayor, stated she will not comment on the matter due to the publication of private, internal information. She emphasized her commitment to ensuring the safety of all Berliners as the future mayor.
Written by urgent.news from Politico EU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
