Newsblog on the state elections: Left postpones decision on Vanessa Emde

For our news blog, in addition to our own research, we use material from the news agencies dpa, Reuters, epd, KNA, and Bloomberg. You can also find all the news, analyses, and background on the elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin on our topic pages. Important Updates Controversial Members of Parliament – Left in Berlin postpone decision on Vanessa Emde Green and SPD for coalition talks with the Left Left advises on controversial Member of Parliament Vanessa Emde Migrant associations demand protection against a possible AfD government SPD Bundestag members speak out against a coalition with the Left in Berlin Berlin Green and SPD for coalition talks with the Left The Greens and the SPD want to enter coalition negotiations with the Left in Berlin. A broad majority voted in favor at a small Green party meeting on the evening; only two of the 45 delegates voted against. Earlier, the SPD state chairman had decided at a digital meeting for coalition talks – according to SZ information, with 26 votes in favor (three against). However, a SPD member decision on a red-green-red coalition is also to be examined. The Left is only at a party meeting on October 31th regarding coalition negotiations. The reason is the two-week autumn holidays in Berlin. If there is an agreement, coalition talks can begin in early November. The briefing paper presented on Saturday had led to somewhat difficult negotiations between the Left, the Greens, and the SPD. The discussion about a consistent course of action against antisemitism, prompted by several incidents within the Left, made the talks more difficult. A joint statement on the issue of antisemitism, on which the three parties agreed before the start of the briefings, is to be included in the coalition agreement in the event of government formation. Red-Green-Red pledge to protect Jewish life, the right to existence of Israel, and a two-state solution that allows for both Israel's security and the self-determination of the Palestinians. Sanctions up to expulsion from the parliamentary group are envisaged for violations of the agreed principles. The Left is only at a party meeting on October 31st regarding coalition negotiations. The reason is the two-week autumn holidays in Berlin. If there is an agreement, coalition talks can begin in early November. The briefing paper presented on Saturday had led to somewhat difficult negotiations between the Left, the Greens, and the SPD. The discussion about a consistent course of action against antisemitism, prompted by several incidents within the Left, made the talks more difficult. A joint statement on the issue of antisemitism, on which the three parties agreed before the start of the briefings, is to be included in the coalition agreement in the event of government formation. Red-Green-Red pledge to protect Jewish life, the right to existence of Israel, and a two-state solution that allows for both Israel's security and the self-determination of the Palestinians. Sanctions up to expulsion from the parliamentary group are envisaged for violations of the agreed principles. Marc Hoch Controversial Members of Parliament – Left in Berlin postpones decision on Vanessa Emde Vanessa Emde attended the faction meeting of her party in the Berlin House of Representatives last week. Soeren Stache/dpa The leadership of the Left faction in the Berlin House of Representatives has not yet found a solution on how to deal with Member of Parliament Vanessa Emde, who is controversial due to her criticism of Israel. The faction chairman has advised in a digital meeting, a spokesperson reported. Emde, who was invited, reported sick. The faction chairman has now invited Emde back for the next meeting on Tuesday. Emde first entered the House of Representatives on the election of September 20th. In the election campaign, she focused on the theme of Palestinian solidarity and caused several discussions due to her Israeli-critical positions. Emde advocated, among other things, the thesis that there is no right to existence for states, but only for people. She reiterated this in an Instagram video last Thursday. "I stand by my statements, and I do not retract any of these statements." Subsequently, the faction leadership stated that they see no basis for cooperation with her anymore. Emde could face exclusion from the faction. The Left, Greens, and SPD in Berlin want to negotiate a coalition after successful briefing talks. The discussion about a consistent course of action against antisemitism, prompted by several incidents within the Left, had made the talks about government formation difficult from the beginning. Berlin Left advises on controversial Member of Parliament Vanessa Emde In the Berlin Left, this Tuesday is once again about the issue of antisemitism and the positions on Israel and the Middle East conflict. The faction chairman is advising in a digital meeting on the further handling of Member of Parliament Vanessa Emde, who has caused several discussions due to her Israeli-critical positions. Emde has been invited to the consultation. According to reports, she could face expulsion from the Left faction. The newly elected Member of Parliament from Neukölln strongly focused on the theme of Palestinian solidarity in the election campaign. She also advocated, among other things, the thesis that there is no right to existence for states, but only for people. She reiterated this in an Instagram video last Thursday. "I stand by my statements, and I do not retract any of these statements." Emde also criticized a statement on antisemitism, which she and all other Left faction members had signed two days earlier. The signatories pledge to protect the right to existence of Israel, among other things. After Emde's criticism, the faction leadership stated that they see no basis for cooperation with her anymore. Vanessa Emde. Photo: Soeren Stache/dpa Anne Eberhard Saxony-Anhalt Migrant associations demand protection against a possible AfD government Migrant associations demand precautions from the federal government and the states to protect minorities in the event of an AfD-led government in Saxony-Anhalt. "In Saxony-Anhalt, a party whose state association is classified as securely right-wing extremist by the intelligence service could participate for the first time in the coming weeks," it is stated in an open letter to Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and the governments of the states. "But a concept to protect the people who would be threatened by such a government does not exist to this day." The senders of the letter, which was intentionally sent before the Prime Ministers' conference on Thursday, are the Turkish community in Germany, the Federal Conference of Migrant*innen organizations, the umbrella association of migrant*innen organizations in East Germany, and the State Network of Migrant*innen organizations Saxony-Anhalt (LAMSA). "The threat to democracy is all over. The threat to the people who do not fit into the national worldview is experienced by those affected themselves, and that is in their daily lives," the associations warn and refer to Jews, people perceived as Muslims, Sinti and Roma, queer people, and people with migration backgrounds. "Since the election successes of the AfD, these people and their organizations have experienced rejection and hatred in an intensity that has not been seen for a long time." Hate mails and threats have reached the association offices, employees are insulted on the phone and on the street. The LAMSA network alone has recorded 85 consultation cases on racist threats in the current year, more than in the entire previous year. Specifically, the authors of the letter demand a federal-state commission to protect minorities, which should clarify what threats exist for people in Saxony-Anhalt due to an AfD government and develop countermeasures. "It clearly shows how the rule of law reacts when a state government tries to test the limits of the constitution." Furthermore, residence requirements, for example, for asylum seekers, should be abolished so that they can leave if they fear racist violence in their area. In addition, the federal government should support threatened non-profit institutions, associations, counseling centers, communities, and initiatives that are being racially threatened with a protection fund – for example, in the development of emergency concepts or structural measures. The associations name the 22 million euros that the federal government made available to secure Jewish institutions after the Halle attack in 2019 as a model. The senders of the letter, which was intentionally sent before the Prime Ministers' conference on Thursday, are the Turkish community in Germany, the Federal Conference of Migrant*innen organizations, the umbrella association of migrant*innen organizations in East Germany, and the State Network of Migrant*innen organizations Saxony-Anhalt (LAMSA). "The threat to democracy is all over. The threat to the people who do not fit into the national worldview is experienced by those affected themselves, and that is in their daily lives," the associations warn and refer to Jews, people perceived as Muslims, Sinti and Roma, queer people, and people with migration backgrounds. "Since the election successes of the AfD, these people and their organizations have experienced rejection and hatred in an intensity that has not been seen for a long time." Hate mails and threats have reached the association offices, employees are insulted on the phone and on the street. The LAMSA network alone has recorded 85 consultation cases on racist threats in the current year, more than in the entire previous year. The Left faction leadership distances itself from Vanessa Emde The leadership of the Berlin Left distances itself from Neukölln Member of Parliament Vanessa Emde. "We must find out that we have constituted a Member of Parliament who does not cooperate with the party," the Left faction chairman Tobias Schulze said in the afternoon. There is no common basis for work. "This includes, in addition to other developments, the statement in a social media post, with which the signature on the constitution declaration of the faction was effectively withdrawn," said Schulze. At the faction leadership meeting on Tuesday, further steps are to be discussed and Vanessa Emde is to be invited. Emde had expressly repeated controversial statements about the right to existence of Israel in an Instagram video on Thursday evening. In the election campaign, Emde strongly focused on the theme of Palestinian solidarity and caused several discussions due to her Israeli-critical positions. On Thursday evening, the Left MP from Neukölln said she had spoken in a video a few months ago that there is no right to existence for states, but only for people. "I stand by my statements, and I do not retract any of these statements," she explained. "And I will not be stopped by media outrage or threats of expulsion from the faction or bureaucratic tricks."