Germany's left-wing 'Die Linke' Berlin party sees wave of resignations over antisemitism

Germany's left-wing Die Linke Party has faced a wave of resignations as it has failed to provide a strong position on antisemitism, according to Der Spiegel on Wednesday.

Defections come from Die Linke's Berlin wing of the party, with two former Berlin Senators (members of the Berlin State cabinet) and three former Berlin party leaders.

Despite resigning, the leaders say they are still committed to left-wing politics and are committed to working with Die Linke in the Berlin Parliament to achieve shared goals.

The resignations came as the five party leaders said they had progressively struggled to advocate for the party's policies and positions, in particular with regard to antisemitism and Ukraine.

On October 11, at the Die Linke Berlin Party conference, a proposed motion on opposing antisemitism, including left-wing antisemitism, was heavily opposed, sparking the current debate on antisemitism.

The motion said, among other things, condemnation for celebrations of October 7, and accused Hamas and Hezbollah of "eliminatory antisemitism."

High-ranking resignation

After failing to reach a resolution, several high-ranking party members walked out, including some of those who had just resigned and others who resigned immediately following the debate.

A total of around 40 delegates left the hall, according to Tagesspiel; because of this, the conference was required to restart voting procedures and was unable to pass the altered motion due to failure to receive the necessary two-thirds majority.

A resolution was eventually reached which called for the party to protect all members who are attacked publically or internally.

The resolution finished by saying, "Our solidarity ends where the massacre of October 7 is celebrated as an act of resistance or the war crimes of the Israeli army are applauded."