Activists Protest Outside Die Linke Congress Over Abandoned Palestine Pledges

While Die Linke delegates gathered inside the Dong-Xuan-Center in Lichtenberg on 31 October to vote on coalition negotiations with the SPD and Greens, activists organised by the Internationalist Alliance Berlin staged a protest outside from 11:00 under the slogan "Gewählt für Palästina. Verraten für den Senat" ("Elected for Palestine. Betrayed for the Senate"). The organisers accused the party leadership of abandoning its stance on Palestinian solidarity in exchange for a share of power, and the mobilisation was amplified through the Telegram channel "Infokanal AG Pali-Soli – Die Linke NK". Protesters' demands included a weapons embargo against Israel, closure of a munitions factory in Wedding, an end to cooperation with Israeli arms companies in Adlershof, and the decriminalisation of the BDS campaign. The activists also sharply criticised the antisemitism agreement reached between Die Linke, the SPD and the Greens, claiming it equated all Israel criticism with antisemitism — a characterisation the agreement's actual text does not support, as it explicitly distinguishes between legitimate criticism of the Israeli government and antisemitic conduct. Party member Achmed Zaytoun, speaking to Junge Welt, said the protest was directed at the state and faction leadership rather than the party as a whole, and pointed to backing from parts of the Neukölln district branch and the Wedding base organisation. The conflict also played out inside the congress hall, where the Neukölln branch submitted a motion criticising the joint antisemitism agreement with the SPD and Greens.