IMAGO / Stefan Zeitz
When the leading figures of the Die Linke, Die Grünen, and the SPD appear before the press, SPD leader Steffen Krach’s expression is stony. Krach’s body language signals great tension, a contrast to the relief radiating from the left-wing state leader, Kerstin Wolter. Because top candidate Elif Eralp is ill, Wolter is presenting the results on behalf of Die Linke.
The three parties were able to agree on joint statements on antisemitism and organised crime, the preliminary talks are over and the red-green-red coalition’s exploratory talks are beginning.
Steffen Krach sees the eight points now contained in the joint statement as representing a “clear line in the fight against antisemitism.” Among other things, the three parties acknowledge a “special responsibility to protect Jewish life in Germany” and emphasise that Israel’s right to exist is “non-negotiable.”
The Die Linke Party politician describes the guiding principle of the red-green-red agreement as “simple yet grand”: “We want a city where all people can live well and safely and openly show their faith and their affiliation.”
The State Group for Palestinian Solidarity within the Die Linke’s party has expressed their dissatisfaction with the agreement and the “authoritarian tone of the preliminary talks”. The group’s spokespeople wrote, “Instead of dialogue, mediation and political debate, the aim appears to be to discipline positions in solidarity with Palestine.”
“I can tell you that the process is not yet over,” explained Wolter, without going into detail.
Read the Berliner Zeitung’s breakdown of the joint statement here.