Drama Arises at the Eleventh Hour: Left Party's Peaceful Position Threatened
The side identifying as liberal appears overtly entrenched in its stance.
By Hubertus Volmer, Chemnitz
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The Left Party's conference in Chemnitz was expected to be a harmonious event, and largely it was. Yet, the smoke of old grudges continued to linger: antisemitism and Israel, arms trade, and Russia. Even the prospect of governance wasn't a given for all leftists.
In the climax of the conference, the party leadership suffered a clear defeat. A motion, against which party leader Jan van Aken explicitly positioned himself, was still passed by a slim majority: 213 delegates voted for a resolution that formally endorses the Left Party with the so-called Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism.
Although this may seem trivial, it's scandalous, even if it didn't appear so in the conference's chaotic atmosphere. "A disastrous resolution," commenting Thuringian state parliamentarian of the Left Party, Katharina König, on Bluesky. With this vote, the majority decided that "the Left Party no longer stands against Every Antisemitism."
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The Jerusalem Declaration is debatable, and it's no surprise that van Aken opposed the motion. Some experts view this declaration as trivializing antisemitism. The proposers reject this, arguing that their motion should not be quietly passed over to committees again.
Only 183 Delegates Sided with Van Aken
Van Aken believes the Left Party found a good compromise at the congress in Halle last year. This resolution, meticulously negotiated, dealt with positioning in the Middle East conflict. The proposers find this insufficient. They aim to "create content-related clarity to disprove false, denigrating accusations" against the Left Party, as one of them explains.
Jan van Aken delivers a succinct counter-argument, but there's no substantive discussion due to time constraints. "I'm against ending a scholarly debate through a party congress resolution, we can't do that," he says, avoiding delving deeper into the conversation.
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Left Party MEP Özel Demirel-Böhlke vehemently opposes van Aken, arguing that there is no scholarly debate, only two opposing definitions: the Jerusalem Declaration and that of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Demirel-Böhlke states that based on IHRA, any criticism of the Israeli government can be labeled as antisemitism. This is controversial, but she receives a warm reception. In the digital vote, 183 delegates follow van Aken's request - not enough. 40 abstain. Many delegates are absent at this point.
About Definitions or Cooperation?
The debate is the main event of a lingering disagreement that echoed through the entire conference. Several delegates in Chemnitz wear a keffiyeh to show solidarity with the Palestinian people, as they explain.
Not just Katharina König, but other leftists are bothered on Bluesky. It's not about definitions, writes former MP Martina Renner, but about being able to absolve people and groups from the charge of antisemitism to keep cooperating. Indeed, the Jerusalem Declaration does not mention that denying Israel's right to exist is antisemitic.
The debate about how to deal with Israel and the Middle East conflict has been raging in the party for a while, and it's increasingly lopsided against Israel. Several prominent members have already left the Left party over this, including former Berlin senator for culture 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.)
Majority for compromise paper on Middle East
In Chemnitz, the party executive had already negotiated a Middle East resolution that was supposed to calm the waters. It only quotes the charge that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, but does not explicitly make the charge itself. The resolution received a clear majority with the blessing of the party executive.
Perennial points of contention
The relationship with Israel and the dispute over the antisemitism definition were just two aspects of the left's long-standing conflict that burst to the surface in Chemnitz. It was planned to be a congress of unity, and for the most part, it was. The delegates celebrated their return to federal politics and assured each other that the sequence of successes in the elections would continue next year.
"The first left mayor for Berlin, that's the 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-Palatinate in March 2026. The Left party has never been in parliament in both federal states, and the party leadership hopes that will change. Elections are also coming up in Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
"A system we reject"
But the Left is likely doing too well to avoid conflicts. The other contentious issues are about the relationship with power, defense policy, and, tied to that, the relationship with Russia. A delegate from Hesse said in the evening debate that she sees in parts of the party "a chronic clinging to beliefs that are increasingly detached from reality". This especially applies to questions of war and peace. "It disregards the fact that repeated calls for rearmament have a genuine cause, namely the Russian attack on Ukraine."
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A motion demanding the resignation of 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, not to 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 capitalist conditions" also seems to be at play, a sentiment that likely only a minority supports. But it exists, and it's clearly audible.
Success is in Question
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 everything you've said in content." She argued formally: The main motion already decided that such a case should not happen again. Schwerdtner urged 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 conflicts were covered up, one could also say: whitewashed. There was reliable applause for the familiar slogans. For now, this will likely continue to work, especially as many new members are unlikely to be interested in resolving the old disputes. But in the long run? The success of the Left Party is in question.
- The Left Party
- Chemnitz
- Party Conference
- Jan van Aken
- Antisemitism
- Israel
- Anti-Semitism
- The Jerusalem Declaration, a contentious resolution endorsed by a slim majority of 213 delegates at the Left Party's conference in Chemnitz, has been criticized by party leader Jan van Aken as trivializing antisemitism.
- The debate about the Jerusalem Declaration and the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism is a major point of contention within the Left Party, with some members viewing the IHRA definition as limiting the scope of criticism towards Israeli government policies.
- The motion to expel leftist party members from state governments in Bremen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern received much applause at the Left Party conference, highlighting the party's stance against government participation "under capitalist conditions."
- The relationship with Israel and the ongoing disagreement over the antisemitism definition were major points of contention at the Left Party conference in Chemnitz, reflecting the party's long-standing conflict and its complications in navigating political issues related to power, defense policy, and foreign relations.
