German court orders minister Reiche to remove video attacking Left party

Germany's Federal Constitutional Court on Thursday handed the Left party an interim win against Economy Minister Katherina Reiche of the Christian Democrats. The court's Second Senate granted the party's urgent motion by a 6-2 vote, ordering Reiche to remove a video from her ministry's Instagram account until a ruling in the main case, for up to six months.

The clip shows excerpts from a Sept. 23 speech, days after the Left won Berlin's state election. In it, Reiche warned against a party that talks about expropriation and, in her words, "openly lives out antisemitism" in a way that frightens Jews in the city. The Left says the post violates the neutrality required of government members. Without an injunction, the party could suffer serious and irreparable harm in political competition, particularly during Berlin's coalition talks, the court said.

The judges did not rule on whether Reiche's remarks were unconstitutional, leaving that to the main proceedings. She remains free to speak as a party politician or private citizen. The ministry had argued the post concerned Germany as a business location and said after the ruling it would review and comply with the decision.