CDU lawmaker accuses Green politician of backing left-wing radicals in Berlin clash

A Berlin CDU lawmaker has accused a Green Party politician of supporting “left-wing radicals” after he was allegedly harassed in Berlin-Kreuzberg, but the Greens politician denies the claim and describes the incident entirely differently.

Timur Husein, a CDU member of the Berlin House of Representatives, said on Sunday that he was “besieged” by left-wing activists in the Kreuzberg district on Saturday evening. He alleged that Green politician Bettina Jarasch had intervened on behalf of the group, lending them support. “She stood by the left-wing radicals,” Husein told the *Tagesspiegel* .

Jarasch, Berlin’s Senator for Environment, Mobility, Consumer Protection and Climate Protection, rejected the accusation outright. “I did not support anyone,” she said. “I was there as a politician to de-escalate a tense situation.” According to Jarasch, Husein had been verbally abusive toward a group of passers-by before the confrontation escalated. She described the CDU politician as having shouted insults, including racial slurs, before a crowd gathered.

Witnesses quoted by the *Tagesspiegel* said Husein had repeatedly called a bystander a “Nazi” and a “racist,” though no evidence has emerged to substantiate the claim. The altercation took place near the Kottbusser Tor U-Bahn station, a frequent site of political demonstrations and counter-protests in Berlin’s multicultural Kreuzberg neighborhood.

The dispute underscores rising tensions in the city between conservative lawmakers and progressive activists, particularly over policing, housing policy, and the treatment of far-right groups. Jarasch’s Green Party has long been a target of right-wing criticism in Berlin, where it leads the state government in coalition with the Social Democrats and the Left Party.

Husein, who represents the CDU in the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district, has previously clashed with local activists over gentrification and police presence in the area. His office did not respond to requests for further comment on Sunday.

Berlin police confirmed they were called to the scene but said no arrests were made and no formal complaints had been filed by either party as of late evening. The force added that officers had separated the groups and restored order without further incident.

The Green Party’s Berlin leadership has rallied behind Jarasch, calling the CDU’s allegations “baseless” and “politically motivated.” “This is an attempt to smear a democratically elected official,” said Green parliamentary group leader Werner Graf. “We stand by Bettina Jarasch and her account of de-escalation.”