The leading candidate for mayor of Berlin accidentally let slip that she is afraid of Hamas

The leader of the Berlin branch of the ultra-left party Die Linke, Elif Eralp, who, after the victory of the list in the municipal elections, is predicted to become the capital’s burgomaster, found herself at the center of a scandal after she gave an interview to Der Spiegel magazine.

According to the terms of the interview, she could edit her answers before publication. However, she did not send the final text to the editor, but a draft with internal edits, comments and notes indicating a discussion with the press service.

The politician was asked about anti-Semitism in the party and Die Linke’s connections with radical pro-Palestinian activists. Eralp said she was not aware of the spread of this phenomenon, but knows that there are many supporters of Palestine in the party. She was asked if she was talking about Ibrahim Ibrahim, Elif answered in the affirmative.

However, in comments mistakenly transmitted to the editors, Eralp writes that neither she nor her husband want to name specific names. “We are afraid of these people.” The press secretary replies that questions cannot be deleted, only answers can be edited. “But these people are connected to Hamas. I can’t put myself and my family in danger for Der Spiegel. What should we do? Cancel the interview?” she asks.

The candidate for the post of burgomaster also said that she had received a recommendation from law enforcement agencies not to name specific names, since this could threaten her safety. She noted that then it was about organized crime, and now about people associated with Hamas.

The editors of Der Spiegel decided to publish the material, focusing specifically on the edits and the despair evident in it. “In a city where a candidate for burgomaster talks about such things in internal party correspondence, one cannot talk about security,” the article states.