Moral Bankruptcy in Berlin: How Germany’s Political Class Ignores Extremism on the Left

Berlin’s political establishment has long maintained a remarkable capacity for moral detachment, but the coalition negotiations in the capital set a fresh benchmark for hypocrisy. As the Social Democrats, the Greens, and the Left Party conduct exploratory talks to form a new Senate, historian Michael Wolffsohn has exposed the profound dishonesty underpinning their alliance. What shocked the historian most was the decision to target October 7—the anniversary of the brutal Hamas massacre—as the day to seal their political understanding.

In a conversation with journalist Ralf Schuler, Wolffsohn characterized such maneuvers as humiliating and devoid of dignity. Rather than offering genuine moral clarity, the participating parties rely on alibis. To soothe public concern over antisemitic currents within their ranks, the coalition partners proposed creating a dedicated arbitration team to manage antisemitic incidents. Far from representing an honest reckoning with hatred, such measures function as avoidance tactics. Steering around sensitive calendar dates while simultaneously partnering with forces suspected of harbouring antisemitic attitudes reveals a political class interested in imagery rather than principles.

The double standard currently governing German political discourse has become impossible to ignore. A political establishment that directs all its outrage toward the Right while maintaining total silence regarding left-wing extremism actively sabotages liberal order. Physical violence or ideological hatred destroys democratic institutions regardless of whether it originates from radical leftists or radical right-wingers; the end result for the victim remains identical. Yet, Germany’s political mainstream routinely applies selective outrage, punishing one side while granting political cover to the other.

This political blindness occurs amid a broader, worrying trend that Wolffsohn describes as a global antisemitic tsunami. That public figures in Germany still debate Israel's right to exist represents a historical scandal. Anyone active in politics who questions Israel's legitimacy violates basic human dignity and ought to be disqualified from holding public office. Coupled with the Left Party’s persistent fantasies of property expropriation—which do nothing to resolve the city’s actual problems—the proposed coalition exposes a governing elite that is both economically reckless and morally compromised.

Written by Martina Kirchner martina.kirchner@alpineweekly.com