Left Party's Last-Minute Drama: The Discomfort Zone
The left appears undeniably overly influential, according to some perspectives.
By Hubertus Volmer, Chemnitz
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The Left Party's conference in Chemnitz was meant to be harmonious, but it was not. Old wounds resurfaced, tests of loyalty were given, and the party found itself in the center of a contentious debate. Armaments, Israel, antisemitism, and Russia - the Left seems to struggle with these issues more than ever.
In a surprising turn of events, the party leadership suffered a narrow defeat at the conference. The motion that party leader Jan van Aken had explicitly opposed found a majority of votes. This motion placed the Left officially behind the controversial Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, stirring a wave of controversy among party members.
Katharina König, a Thuringian state parliamentarian of the Left, labeled the decision as "a fatal resolution." The majority, she argued, had decided that the Left no longer stands for #againstanyantisemitism. The Jerusalem Declaration, which van Aken had explicitly opposed due to concerns about trivializing antisemitism, sparked debates among experts. The supporters of the motion, however, are mostly angered by the fact that their motion was to be quietly referred to committees - for the second time.
Spotlight Jan van Aken: The Left Leader in the Crossfire
Jan van Aken mounted a brief counter-argument, but the debate lacked any real discussion. He expressed his discomfort with ending a scientific debate through a party conference resolution. Butomir-Böhlke, a Left MEP, vehemently opposed van Aken, stating that there is no such scientific debate. Rather, she argued, it is solely a matter of competing definitions: the Jerusalem Declaration and that of the IHRA. She drew strong applause, while van Aken's appeal fell short. The result was a narrow victory for the supporters of the motion.
Defining the Boundaries: Is it About Definitions or Cooperation?
The debate over the Jerusalem Declaration is the culmination of an ongoing discussion within the Left Party. Several delegates wear a kufiyeh to express their solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Katharina König, among others, expresses her shock over the motion on Bluesky. The debate is not about definitions, she argues, but about being able to exonerate people and groups from the charge of antisemitism to continue cooperating. Indeed, the Jerusalem Declaration does not indict denying Israel's right to exist as antisemitic.
The dispute over Israel and the Middle East conflict has been ongoing in the party for a long time, and it's increasingly tilted against Israel. Several prominent members have already left the Left over this, including former Berlin Senator for Culture Klaus Lederer. The situation took a turn for the worse when, just two days before the conference, party executive distanced itself from statements that question Israel's existence or promote its elimination.
Middle East Compromise: A Step Towards Calm or a Misstep?
In an attempt to calm the waters, the party executive negotiated a Middle East resolution before the conference. It merely stated that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, but did not explicitly make this charge itself. Delegate Hana Qetinaj from Frankfurt am Main argues that the Left has lost credibility in this matter, stating, "A false relativization during a genocide does not do justice to what is happening there." With the executive's blessing, the compromise paper received a clear majority.
Old Wounds, New Battlegrounds: The Left's Unresolved Conflicts
The relationship with Israel and the antisemitism debate were merely two aspects of the Left's ongoing feud. The Left seemed to be doing too well to avoid conflicts. New contentions arose regarding the party's relationship with power, defense policy, and Russia.
"A chronic clinging to dogmas that are increasingly detached from reality" – this delegate from Hesse expresses a concern about the party's rigid stance in matters of war and peace. She criticizes the repeated calls for rearmament and the party's continued dismissal of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While not a majority opinion, such views were openly expressed during the conference.
A Party in Turmoil: The Question of Success
Party leader Ines Schwerdtner delivered the counter-argument to the motion against the state associations of Bremen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. She reiterated that the main motion had already decided that such a case should not happen again and implored the conference not to "set a precedent." The motion against the state associations, however, was approved by the majority.
In the end, all the old conflicts were overshadowed, but the Left seems to be in turmoil. Reliable applause for famous slogans may mask the underlying tension for now, but only time will tell if the party can navigate its way through these challenges.
Source: ntv.de
- The Left Party
- Chemnitz
- Party Conference
- Jan van Aken
- Antisemitism
- Israel
- Anti-Semitism
Enrichment Data:The IHRA definition of antisemitism has been controversial, with critics arguing that it conflates legitimate criticism of Israel with antisemitism and could potentially stifle free speech and undermine Palestinian rights. In response to these concerns, the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism was developed, aiming to provide a framework for understanding antisemitism that allows for legitimate criticism of Israel. Many left-wing Jewish organizations and civil liberties groups have raised concerns about the potential impact of the IHRA definition on free speech and political discourse, and debate over the appropriate definition of antisemitism and its implications continues to be polarized.
- The Left Party's conference in Chemnitz was a site of division, with the party debating on the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, a resolution that party leader Jan van Aken opposed due to concerns about trivializing antisemitism.
- Members of the Left Party, such as Katharina König, have expressed discomfort with the party's stand on the Jerusalem Declaration, arguing it does not stand against any antisemitism.
- The Chemnitz conference also saw debates over the Left Party's employment policy towards Israel, with some members advocating for a more critical stance.
- The embroiled disputes within the Left Party, including the Jerusalem Declaration controversy, have led to questions about the party's ability to cooperate effectively and navigate its internal conflicts.
