Politico Europe reported that Elif Eralp, the Left Party’s candidate for mayor of Berlin, mistakenly returned a Der Spiegel interview transcript that included internal notes to her staff. In those notes, she wrote, “I cannot put myself and my family in danger for SPIEGEL. What do we do now? Cancel the entire interview?”
Notes flag fear over “connections to Hamas”
According to Politico Europe, during the interview Eralp was asked about antisemitism among elements in her party and acknowledged that “boundaries had been crossed at some campaign events.” When the journalist asked if she meant a German pro-Palestinian activist identified as Ibrahim Ibrhrahim, Eralp answered “yes,” Politico Europe reported. She then sought to have that question removed from the interview, explaining in her notes that German authorities had previously advised her not to use specific names linked to criminal activity: “Back then, it was about organized crime. Now it’s about people with connections to Hamas.”
In another note about naming individuals, Politico Europe reported that Eralp wrote a third party “does not want to name specific individuals, neither does my husband, nor do I. He is afraid of these people, and so am I.”
Political fallout and coalition stakes
Stefan Evers, the Christian Democratic Union’s mayoral candidate, criticized Eralp in a statement to Politico Europe: “If the woman who is supposed to govern Berlin in the future is so afraid for herself and her family that she hesitates to publicly name terrorist sympathizers, while parts of her own party are working hand in hand with those very circles, then reasonable voices within the Greens and [Social Democrats] must finally pull the emergency brake.”
Politico Europe also reported that the Left Party finished first in Berlin’s Sept. 20 election and needs support from the Social Democrats and the Greens to form a coalition government.
Context reported by other outlets
Al Jazeera has reported that, if elected, Eralp would be Berlin’s first mayor of Turkish descent. The Turkish outlet Yeni Şafak has reported that she identifies as Muslim. Coverage of the leaked notes was also highlighted by i24NEWS English and Ynet Global on Oct. 29, 2026.
