Internal note sent to Der Spiegel puts Berlin's Eralp under pressure
A note mistakenly sent to Der Spiegel shows Left Party leader Elif Eralp fears for her family, the magazine reports. Ex-mayor Müller said that would make her open to blackmail. Eralp vows to keep all Berliners safe.
Archive image · Photo: Ferran Cornellà / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Elif Eralp, the Left Party's parliamentary leader in Berlin, came under pressure after a report by Der Spiegel. The magazine said Eralp, in internal comments on an interview, expressed fear for her family's safety if she spoke explicitly about a well-known pro-Palestinian activist. According to the magazine, her office's notes were mistakenly sent back along with the interview text and read: "I cannot put myself and my family in danger for SPIEGEL." The note also cites a state police (LKA) recommendation not to name names and refers to "people with contacts to Hamas." The activist rejects accusations that he supports terrorism.
Former Berlin Mayor Michael Müller of the Social Democrats told broadcaster Phoenix that this would mean "the governing mayor can be blackmailed." Christian Democrat parliamentary leader Stefan Evers urged the Greens and SPD to end talks with the Left and plans to invite both to exploratory talks on Nov. 3. Berlin Left chair Maximilian Schirmer defended Eralp, saying no one need be ashamed of worrying about their family and that she had faced hostility and threats for months. Left Party politician Bodo Ramelow called Der Spiegel's approach "more than questionable." Complaints about the reporting have been filed with the German Press Council; the party says Eralp did not file one.
Eralp said it was entirely normal to worry about one's family: "I will not let anyone intimidate me." She pledged that as mayor she would ensure the safety of all Berliners and act consistently against violence and terrorism. A Left Party convention on Saturday will decide whether to open coalition talks with the Greens and SPD.