Last-Minute Turmoil: Left Party's Comfortable Position Threatened
The far-left elements show an overt bias in their stance.
By Hubertus Volmer, Chemnitz
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originally harmonious, the Left Party's Chemnitz congress took a tumultuous turn when old issues came back to haunt them: antisemitism, Israel, armaments, and Russia. Debating even governance wasn't a given for all leftists.
At the closing session, the party hierarchy suffered a clear setback. A motion that party head Jan van Aken specifically opposed still passed by a slim margin: 213 delegates voted for a resolution aligning the Left Party with the controversial Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism.
While this may seem insignificant, in the congress's chaotic atmosphere, it's a scandal. "A disastrous resolution," commented Thuringia's Left Party state legislator Katharina König on Bluesky, "This means the majority has decided that the Left Party no longer stands for #againstEveryAntisemitism."
Front Pages "A Fatal Resolution" Jan van Aken Talks About the Congress Results
A staunch opponent of the declaration, van Aken argues that the Left Party found a fair compromise at last year's Halle congress regarding the Middle East conflict. The proposers, however, want "to establish clear content clarity to refute defamatory accusations" against the Left Party, one of them explained.
Jan van Aken delivers a brief counter-argument, but there's no real discussion, time is too short. "I'm against ending a scholarly debate via a party congress resolution; we can't do that," he says but fails to delve deeper. In the morning, the congress remembered the late Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer.
"Blatant Hypocrisy" - Left Party MEP Özdemir-Böhlke strongly opposes van Aken, asserting that there's no scholarly debate, only competing definitions: the Jerusalem Declaration and the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). She points out that, based on IHRA, any criticism of the Israeli government could be smeared as antisemitism. This is a contentious claim, but she receives a strong round of applause. In the electronic vote, 183 delegates follow van Aken's appeal - not enough. 40 abstain. Many delegates had left the room by this point.
When Definitions Get Personal
The debate was a part of a long-standing discussion that permeated the entire congress. Several delegates wore keffiyehs in Chemnitz to express solidarity with the Palestinian people, as they put it.
"Not about definitions," writes former MP Martina Renner on Bluesky, "It's about exonerating individuals and groups from the charge of antisemitism in order to continue cooperating." The Jerusalem Declaration does not indicate that denying Israel's right to exist is antisemitic.
The dispute over Israel and the Middle East conflict has been ongoing in the party for a long time. Several prominent members have already left the Left over this issue, including former Berlin Senator for Culture Klaus Lederer. He might not see much reason to return: On Tuesday, Left Party federal board member Ulrike Eifler posted an incomplete map of Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank on X, where Israel's borders were not clear. Two days later, the party executive distanced itself from "any call, statement, or visual representation that, under the guise of solidarity with the Palestinian population, negates the existence of Israel or promotes the elimination of Israel." (Continue reading here.)
Majority Decision on Compromise Paper on the Middle East
Before the controversy, the party executive had already negotiated a Middle East resolution to calm tensions. It merely acknowledges the accusation that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, without explicitly making the accusation itself.
"The Israeli government and its accomplices must be held accountable," a Frankfurt am Main delegate, one of the applicants, stated in the debate. The Left has hurt its reputation on this issue, she complains. "False relativization in the face of a genocide is unjust to what is happening there." The paper receives a clear majority with the party executive's blessing.
The same arguments, different day
Israel and the Middle East conflict weren't the only old debates that flared up: the relationship with power, defense policy, and Russia were also on the agenda. The Chemnitz congress was supposed to be a party conference of unity, but it was anything but that. In the evening debate on Friday, Wiesbaden city councilor Brigitte Forßbohm stated that she sees "a persistent attachment to dogmas in some parts of the party that have increasingly diverged from reality." This applies most notably to issues of war and peace. "Repeated calls for rearmament are being ignored," she continued, "which has a real cause - namely, the Russian attack on Ukraine."
Politics: Left Party Chair Confident "CDU Should Realize: They Can't Ignore Us Anymore" While these viewpoints are not the majority, they were expressed openly. On Saturday, the party conference unanimously rejected the reintroduction of conscription and other compulsory services.
A motion calling for the resignation of the Left Party ministers and senators in the state governments of Bremen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern received significant applause. "We are responsible to our class and the people, not to a system we reject" was the argument. This sentiment reflects a rejection of "war credits," with several speakers drawing a parallel with 1914. However, it likely represents a minority. Yet, it exists, and it's loud and clear.
Success Comes at a Cost
Party leader Ines Schwerdtner addressed the counterargument to the motion against the state associations of Bremen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. "Dear comrade, I agree with everything you've said in substance," she claimed. She argued formally: The main motion had already decided that such a case should not occur again. Schwerdtner urged the party conference not to "set a precedent." This motion failed with 219 to 192 votes and 39 abstentions.
In the end, all long-standing conflicts were overshadowed, one might say, "papered over." The congress ended with reliably loud applause for the familiar slogans. This will likely work for a while, especially since many new members are unlikely to be interested in resolving the old disputes - the party has almost doubled its membership to over 112,000 in just a year and a half, which is part of the comeback. But will the dissent last? There's a question mark over the Left Party's success.
Context and Insights:
The controversy surrounding the Left Party's endorsement of the Jerusalem Declaration stems from conflicting perspectives on defining antisemitism and its implications for Israel criticism. With growing tensions, it remains unclear whether the party can continue to hold its success in the face of a divided consensus.
- The community policy debate at the Left Party's Chemnitz congress was overshadowed by the reemergence of old issues such as antisemitism, Israel, armaments, and Russia, leading to a turbulent turn of events.
- The resolution that passed in the congress, aligning the Left Party with the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, has sparked controversy among party members, with some asserting that the Left Party no longer stands against every form of antisemitism.
- While the party leadership, represented by Jan van Aken, opposed the resolution, many delegates felt it was necessary to establish clear content clarity to refute defamatory accusations against the Left Party.
- A significant number of delegates expressed concerns about Israel's actions in the Middle East, with several calling for accountability and denouncing the Israeli government's alleged genocide in Gaza. This issue has long been a source of division within the party.
