Berlins Die Linke faces coalition crisis as lawmakers demand break with antisemitism, organized crime ties
Berlin’s left-wing Die Linke party faced mounting backlash on Wednesday over ties to organized crime and antisemitism following its election victory in the city, as federal lawmakers debated the fallout in the Bundestag.
The controversy centers on a post-election party hosted by Die Linke’s Neukölln branch, where Issa Remmo—a figure linked to high-profile heists, including the 2017 theft of a 100-kilogram gold coin from Berlin’s Bode Museum and the Dresden Green Vault burglary—appeared as a guest. Also present was a pro-Palestinian activist accused of Israel-hostile positions and alleged ties to the PFLP, an EU-designated terrorist group. Die Linke’s Berlin chapter ejected Remmo and denied any connection to organized crime, but the damage spread after Ferat Koçak, a Die Linke Bundestag member from Neukölln, admitted to contacts with the Remmo family. Koçak has since stepped back from his roles and withdrawn from public view, the party’s parliamentary group confirmed on Tuesday .
In the Bundestag, lawmakers from across the spectrum demanded Die Linke distance itself from antisemitism and organized crime. CDU MP Ottilie Klein accused the party of an “unholy alliance with clan criminality, Islamism, and Jew-hatred,” while SPD’s Sebastian Fiedler stated, “With the Berlin Left, no state can be run” . Gregor Gysi of Die Linke countered that antisemitism accusations were being weaponized for political gain, though he acknowledged some colleagues’ Israel criticism had been excessive .
The scandal has complicated potential coalition talks for a red-red-green government in Berlin, with Greens and SPD leaders insisting on clear red lines. Greens co-leader Omid Nouripour demanded the exclusion of anyone linked to criminal clans, while SPD figures called for every Die Linke lawmaker to explicitly reject antisemitism .
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