Politics · Germany · 2 hrs ago
Giffey accuses Berlin’s Left party of links to Hamas sympathisers
Franziska Giffey, a former Berlin mayor from the Social Democrats, criticised the Left party in an interview on German TV.
She said the party had members sympathetic to Hamas and questioned its links to people she described as supporting terrorism.
Giffey also questioned whether the party was committed to protecting Jewish life in Berlin.
The Left’s Berlin mayoral candidate is Elif Eralp, whom Giffey described as friendly but said voters should consider who stood behind her.
Giffey said the party’s membership had grown from about 7,000 in 2021 to 19,500, with many members focused on Gaza and Israel.
She also criticised Left party lawmaker Vanessa Emde for attending a meeting with a woman Giffey called antisemitic.
The dispute matters because it concerns antisemitism and the protection of Jewish people in a city shaped by the Holocaust, but no next steps were given.
Former Berlin mayor Franziska Giffey accused Berlin’s Left party of being infiltrated by Hamas sympathisers.
She made the accusation during an appearance on Sandra Maischberger’s programme, according to Bild.
Giffey cited what she described as support for people linked to terrorism and organised crime, and a lack of clear commitment to protecting Jewish life.
She also questioned the continued membership of Left party lawmaker Vanessa Emde in the parliamentary group.
Bild reported that the party had grown from about 7,000 members in 2021 to 19,500 at the time of the article.
- Who
- Franziska Giffey, Berlin’s former mayor and a Social Democratic Party politician, made the accusations against the Left party.
- What
- She accused the party of having links to Hamas sympathisers and criticised its stance on protecting Jewish life.
- When
- Bild published its report on November 5, 2026. The date of Giffey’s appearance was not stated.
- Where
- Berlin; Giffey made the remarks on Sandra Maischberger’s programme.
- Why
- Giffey said she objected to the party’s alleged solidarity with people she said supported terrorism and its lack of a clear commitment to protecting Jewish life.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Giffey said the Left party had around 7,000 members.
Bild published a report on Giffey’s accusations and said the party then had 19,500 members.
- Accuser
- Franziska Giffey, former Berlin mayor
- Party criticised
- Berlin’s Left party
- Party candidate
- Elif Eralp
- Lawmaker criticised
- Vanessa Emde
- Membership in 2021
- Around 7,000
- Membership at time of report
- 19,500
What people are saying
The question is: Who is behind her?
If a Left party conference takes place where solidarity in the city is invoked, while before that people express solidarity with names clearly associated with support for terrorism, proximity to organised crime and a failure to clearly commit to protecting Jewish life, that is a divergence one cannot simply accept.
The Left had around 7,000 members in 2021. Now it has 19,500. It has almost tripled.
What more has to happen?