Elif Eralp of Germany’s Left Party filed a criminal complaint against Interior Minister Dobrindt. Eralp’s lawyer, Jasper Prigge, said the complaint was based on Dobrindt adopting a statement made during a ZDF program that described Eralp as antisemitic.
Prigge argued that the statement constituted the offenses of defamation and insult under the German Criminal Code. The complaint claimed that describing Eralp as antisemitic could have serious consequences for her political activities and reputation.
The debate on the program
A debate took place between Dobrindt and Heidi Reichinnek, chair of the Left Party’s parliamentary group in the Bundestag, during the program broadcast on September 24. While discussing Eralp, host Maybrit Illner misspoke and said, “Elif Eralp says that she herself is antisemitic.”
Illner immediately corrected herself and said that Eralp was not antisemitic. Dobrindt then responded, “No, she is.”
Reichinnek reacted strongly to Dobrindt’s statement, describing it as “truly extremely disgusting.” Eralp’s lawyer Prigge argued that Dobrindt adopted the host’s verbal slip as if it reflected his own view and made a false factual allegation about Eralp.
Eralp’s election result
The Left Party, for which Eralp was the candidate for state premier, came first in the state parliament elections held in Berlin on September 20, winning 25.7 percent of the vote.
Following the election, Eralp aims to form a three-party coalition with the Social Democratic Party and the Greens and become Berlin’s state premier and mayor.