Berlin Left Party Demands MP Vanessa Emde Resign Seat or Face Expulsion
The Berlin branch of the Left Party (Linke) has formally demanded that controversial MP Vanessa Emde give up her seat in the Berlin House of Representatives, threatening expulsion from the parliamentary group if she refuses. State leaders Kerstin Wolter and Maximilian Schirmer said the party no longer trusts Emde, citing her repeated denial of Israel's right to exist, her appearance with a Hamas sympathizer, and her protest against her own party at a state party conference. Emde has one week to delete an Instagram post, apologize, and commit to constructive cooperation; otherwise a two-thirds majority expulsion vote could follow. The move also responds to SPD demands that no coalition include Emde.
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Berlin Left Party Demands MP Vanessa Emde Give Up Her Mandate
The Berlin branch of the Left Party (Linke) has decided to formally demand that controversial MP Vanessa Emde relinquish her seat in the Berlin House of Representatives, with the threat of expulsion from the parliamentary group if she refuses. State party leaders Kerstin Wolter and Maximilian Schirmer said the party no longer trusts Emde, citing her repeated denial of Israel's right to exist and her appearance with a Hamas sympathizer, as well as her protest against her own party at a recent state party conference. The party gave Emde one week to delete an Instagram post, apologize for her conduct at the party conference, and commit to constructive cooperation on the basis of party decisions. If she does not comply, the parliamentary group could vote on her expulsion, requiring a two-thirds majority. The move also responds to a demand from Berlin's SPD, whose leader Steffen Krach said there would be no left coalition with Emde in the Linke group.
Read sourceBerlin Left Party Demands MP Emde Resign Her Mandate or Face Expulsion
The Berlin branch of the Left Party (Linke) announced on Friday that its state board has decided to demand that controversial MP Vanessa Emde give up her seat in the Berlin House of Representatives, and has threatened her with expulsion from the parliamentary group if she refuses. State leaders Kerstin Wolter and Maximilian Schirmer said the party no longer trusts Emde, citing her repeated denial of Israel's right to exist and her appearance with a Hamas sympathizer, as well as her protest against her own party at last weekend's state party conference. Emde has one week to delete an Instagram post, apologize for her conduct at the party conference, and commit to constructive cooperation; otherwise, the faction could vote on her expulsion on Tuesday, requiring a two-thirds majority. The move also responds to a demand from Berlin's SPD, whose leader Steffen Krach said there would be no left coalition with Emde in the Left faction.
Read sourceBerlin Left Party to Demand Lawmaker Vanessa Emde Give Up Her Seat
The Berlin branch of the Left Party (Linke) plans to formally demand that its lawmaker Vanessa Emde relinquish her seat in the Berlin House of Representatives, according to a Tagesspiegel report. The state board is expected to make the request at a Friday meeting, citing multiple violations of a mandate-holder agreement signed before the election. Party insiders doubt Emde will comply, saying she believes she is in the right, shows no admission of guilt, and prioritizes her own agenda over the party. The move follows controversy over Emde's statements questioning Israel's right to exist. Senior Linke figure Gregor Gysi said he hopes the party expels her from the parliamentary group, calling such statements antisemitic and a red line. The dispute complicates Berlin coalition talks, where a joint declaration affirming Israel's right to exist is planned.
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Berlin Left Party Weighs Action Against Emde as SPD and Greens Snub CDU
The Berlin Left party's parliamentary leadership continued deliberations over possible consequences for controversial MP Vanessa Emde, who faces potential expulsion from the faction over anti-Israel statements, including indirectly denying Israel's right to exist. No concrete decisions were reached, and faction leader Tobias Schulze said it remains to be seen whether Emde stays. Emde, who won a direct mandate in Neukölln with 46.2 percent, brought pro-Palestinian activist Hannah Bruns—subject of a party expulsion request—to the parliamentary session. Emde had signed a statement affirming Israel's right to exist but later distanced herself from it on Instagram. Meanwhile, Berlin's SPD and Greens rejected the CDU's offer for exploratory talks after a roughly two-hour meeting, citing ongoing coalition negotiations with the Left. CDU leader Stefan Evers called the decision regrettable but kept his offer of an alternative alliance open.
Read sourceBerlin Left Party MP Vanessa Emde brings controversial companion to faction meeting
Berlin Left Party MP Vanessa Emde, who denies Israel's right to exist, brought Hannah Bruns to a Tuesday faction meeting. Bruns is a leading voice in the party's Palestine solidarity working group and faces an ongoing party expulsion procedure over alleged Israel-related antisemitism. The move is seen as a further provocation after Emde demonstrated against her own party at the weekend state party conference, where she called for socialization and Palestine solidarity. Faction leaders had reportedly not announced an expulsion motion, which under faction rules must be filed at least a week before debate and vote. Without a motion, Emde would remain a faction member through the next plenary session on November 12. It remains unclear whether the two-thirds majority needed for expulsion exists. SPD state leader Steffen Krach has said that if Emde stays, there will be no coalition. After the meeting, no expulsion procedure was reportedly initiated, leaving the matter to the party.