Last-Minute Drama: The Left's Uneasy Unity Tested
The Left's Perspective Apparentlly Unmistakable, Overly Influential
By Hubertus Volmer, Chemnitz
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The Left's annual conference in Chemnitz was intended to be a harmonious affair, but old disagreements erupted: antisemitism, Israel, arms, and Russia. Even governing is not a given for all leftists.
In the end, the Left's leadership suffered a clear defeat. A motion opposed by party leader Jan van Aken still passed with a narrow majority: 213 delegates voted for a resolution that aligns the Left with the so-called Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism.
While this may seem trivial, it's a powder keg, even if it didn't seem that way in the chaos of the conference. "A fatal resolution," commented Thuringia's Left state parliamentarian Katharina König on Bluesky, stating that the majority had decided "the Left now stands for anything other than #againstEveryAntisemitism."
Political Unrest
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The Jerusalem Declaration is a contentious issue, and it's no surprise van Aken opposed the motion. Some experts see it as trivializing antisemitism, while the proposers deny it. They're upset that their motion was repeatedly referred to committees without discussion.
Van Aken argues that the Left found a reasonable compromise at last year's conference in Halle. That resolution addressed the party's positioning in the Middle East conflict. The proposers find this insufficient. They want "to provide clarity to refute false, defamatory accusations" against the Left, one of them said.
Jan van Aken gives a brief counter-argument, but there's no real discussion due to time constraints. He opposes ending a scientific debate with a party conference resolution. In the morning, the conference had paid tribute to Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer.
Controversial Vote
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Left MEP Özil Demirel-Böhlke strongly opposes van Aken, stating that there's no scientific debate, only two competing definitions: the Jerusalem Declaration and the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). She says the IHRA definition could be used to discredit any criticism of the Israeli government as antisemitism, which is controversial. She received strong applause. In the digital vote, 183 delegates backed van Aken's appeal, but it wasn't enough. 40 abstained. Many delegates were absent at this point.
Definitions or Cooperation?
The debate was a highlight of an underlying discussion that permeated the entire conference. Several delegates wore keffiyehs in Chemnitz to express their solidarity with the Palestinian people, as they put it.
Not just Katharina König, but other leftists are also outraged on Bluesky. It's not about definitions, writes former MP Martina Renner, but about being able to exonerate people and groups from antisemitism charges in order to continue cooperating. Indeed, the Jerusalem Declaration does not indicate that denying Israel's right to exist is antisemitic.
The dispute over how to handle Israel and the Middle East conflict has been ongoing in the party for a long time, increasingly tilted against Israel. Several prominent members have already left, including former Berlin culture senator Klaus Lederer. He may not see much reason to return: On Tuesday, Left Party federal board member Ulrike Eifler posted a map of Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank on X, where Israel's borders were not recognizable. 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." (More on this here.)
Compromise on Middle East
In Chemnitz, the party executive had already negotiated a Middle East resolution intended to calm nerves. It only quotes the charge that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, without explicitly making the accusation itself. The resolution received a clear majority with the party executive's blessing.
Perennial Points of Contention
The relationship with Israel, the antisemitism definition debate, and other points of contention contributed to the ongoing feud that heated up in Chemnitz. It was supposed to be a party congress of unity, and for the most part, it was. Delegates celebrated their resurgence in the federal election and assured each other that the winning streak would continue in the next year.
"The first left mayor for Berlin, that's a goal," faction leader Heidi Reichinnek said in her speech on Friday. She listed all the upcoming elections: communal elections in North Rhine-Westphalia in September, state elections in Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Pfalz in March 2026. The party leadership hopes that the Left will enter parliament in both federal states for the first time. Elections are also scheduled in Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the coming year.
"A System We Reject"
But the Left seems to be doing too well to avoid conflicts. Other points of disagreement include the relationship with power, defense policy, and, consequently, the relationship with Russia. Wiesbaden city councilor Brigitte Forßbohm said in the evening debate on Friday that she sees "a chronic clinging to dogmas that increasingly diverge from reality" in parts of the party, especially regarding questions of war and peace. "The repeated call for rearmament is overlooked, which has a real cause, namely the Russian invasion of Ukraine."
Politics Left Party Leader Confident: "CDU Should Realize: There's No Getting Around Us" While such positions are far from being the majority at the Left Party, it was surprising that they were even openly expressed. The party conference on Saturday 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 much applause. "We are accountable to our class and the people, and we have no responsibility towards a system we reject," said one of the proposers. Behind this is the rejection of "war credits," with several speakers drawing a parallel to 1914. However, the general rejection of government participation "under the conditions of capitalism" also seems to be reflected in these views - a sentiment that likely only a minority supports. But it exists, and it is clearly audible.
Success Has a Question Mark Above It
In her rebuttal to the motion against the state associations of Bremen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, party leader Ines Schwerdtner said, "Dear comrade, I agree with you in content on everything you said." She argued formally: The main motion had already decided that such a case should not happen again. Schwerdtner called on the party conference not to "set a precedent." This motion was rejected with 219 to 192 votes and 39 abstentions.
In the end, all the long-standing disagreements were overshadowed, one could also say: papered over. There was reliable applause for the familiar slogans. This will likely work for a while, especially since the many new members are unlikely to be interested in clarifying the old disputes - the party has doubled its membership to over 112,000 in one and a half years, which is also part of the comeback. But will the dissent last? There is a question mark over the success of the Left Party.
- The Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism was a contentious issue at the Left's annual conference in Chemnitz, leading to a split within the party over its alignment with the declaration.
- In a digital vote, a majority of delegates voted for a motion that aligns the Left with the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, despite opposition from party leader Jan van Aken.
- The dispute over the Jerusalem Declaration and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been ongoing in the Left Party, and some members have even left the party due to this issue.
- In Chemnitz, the party executive negotiated a Middle East resolution intended to calm nerves, which received a clear majority with the party executive's blessing. However, the relationship with Israel remains a point of contention within the party.
