Berlin's Far Left Finds Admirers in the Underworld

What happens when a political party works overtime to dismantle the terminology used to prosecute organized crime? In Berlin, the answer arrives directly at the election party. When Issa Remmo, the patriarch of a notorious criminal clan, attended the victory gathering of Die Linke in Neukölln, the party leadership rushed to construct a political firewall. Yet, social media updates from the patriarch’s son suggested that the mutual affinity was already well established.

Firas Remmo published friendly chat exchanges with Die Linke politician Ferat Koçak, alongside parliamentary speeches in which the lawmaker attacked the very term clan criminality as a political battle term with a racist history. Remmo enthusiastically endorsed the politician on Instagram, declaring that they formed a team and worked together toward shared goals. His father had previously told journalists from the Berliner Morgenpost that he felt supported by the party.

The subsequent damage control was as swift as it was awkward. While top candidate Elif Eralp claimed that the clan leader had been sent away from the celebration, the local Neukölln branch explained that the public event was open to everyone and denied any personal or political connections. Koçak was also forced to explain a photograph taken at the same event with Ibrahim Ibrahim, an activist linked to Hamas. In a statement on X, the lawmaker explained that he takes hundreds of photos with supporters and generally assumes good intentions, while distancing himself from statements that glorify violence or terrorism.

This gathering in Neukölln is directly aligned with the party's programmatic vision. In its election platform, Die Linke Berlin explicitly calls for reducing police funding and cutting force personnel, arguing that security should be redefined away from police criteria and toward social work. When a political faction campaigns to shrink the security apparatus while simultaneously seeking to erase the concept of clan crime from public discourse, it should shock no one when those affected show up to express their satisfaction.

Written by Sandy van Dongen sandy.vandongen@alpineweekly.com