Neukölln’s Left Party Finds Its Soundtrack in Terror Apologetics

When a political party organises an event explicitly designed to vent frustration at market economics, one might expect predictable Marxist slogans and dry lectures on class struggle. In Berlin’s Neukölln district, however, the local chapter of Die Linke prefers a louder, far more dubious soundtrack for its gathering titled "Angry at Capitalism."

At Herrfurthplatz, the local party offered a platform to a performer named Dahabflex, a self-styled Stalin admirer adorned with hammer-and-sickle iconography. His repertoire goes well beyond standard left-wing posturing. Alongside violent fantasies about attacking the Bundestag, throwing Molotov cocktails, and assaulting political opponents, his performance delivered explicit anti-Israel incitement, featuring chants of "Death to the IDF," demands for an "Intifada," and praise for PFLP aircraft hijacker Leila Khaled.

Instead of pulling the plug on the performance, local functionaries embraced it. Neukölln district chairman Hermann Nehls took to the stage to snap photos while audience members waved Palestinian flags, and local candidate Philipp Dehne later shared video clips online, praising the event as solid music. Support also came from party structures, with the regional working group on Palestinian solidarity and Linksjugend Solid spokesperson Maria Lara Moubarak backing the appearance.

The spectacle earned the Neukölln district branch the weekly "Golden Watermelon" negative award from media outlet NIUS, a dishonour aimed at highlighting public manifestations of Israel-hatred. Rather than singling out a lone offender, the award was given collectively, reflecting what observers view as a systemic issue within the local party.

Indeed, the Neukölln association has repeatedly blurred the lines between political activism and hostility toward the Jewish state. The local branch previously edited internal anti-antisemitism motions to remove explicit references to the eliminatory antisemitism of Hamas and Hezbollah. It hosted events alongside terror-adjacent groups like the United Palestinian National Committee, distributed maps that erased Israel entirely, and publicly shouted accusations of genocide at visiting officials from Berlin’s Israeli partner municipality of Bat Yam.

Facing predictable backlash, senior party figures attempted hasty damage control. Berlin lead candidate Elif Eralp expressed shock over the incident, though such outrage appears driven less by ideological soul-searching than by anxiety over lost votes in the upcoming parliamentary election. Meanwhile, federal leadership figures such as Luigi Pantisano offered faint disavowals.

When glorification of violence receives nods of approval from party cadres, claims of ignorance or accidental oversight lose all credibility. In Neukölln, political extremism is no longer an uncomfortable byproduct; it has become part of the program.

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