Berlin's far-left vote winners reject anti-semitism charges

Germany's far-left Die Linke party, winners of Berlin city-state elections, on Monday rejected charges that pro-Palestinian activists among its base have veered into antisemitism or hate for Israel.

The party faced criticism about the presence of two controversial figures at a victory party Sunday night, including an allegedly militant activist and the head of an extended family with Middle Eastern roots that is often linked to organised crime.

"Celebrating violence and terrorism is absolutely unacceptable," said Die Linke lead candidate Elif Eralp, who hopes to become Berlin mayor in a coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens.

"I will do everything to ensure that Jewish people -- just like Muslims, queer people and everyone in our city -- can feel safe."

Die Linke scored 25.7 percent in Sunday's vote, heavily defeating Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU, which currently governs the city with the SPD and which on Sunday slumped to 18.8 percent.

At the victory party in the capital's Neukoelln district, one of the party's MPs, Ferat Kocak, was pictured with Ibrahim Ibrahim, described by German media as a supporter of armed Palestinian militants.

Also spotted at the event was Issa Remmo, the head of the "Remmo clan", an extended family often accused of a web of ties to organised crime and linked to a spectacular jewellery heist.

The SPD sharply criticised the party on Monday, with national co-leader Baerbel Bas saying it would be "very difficult" to work with a party "large parts of which act in an antisemitic way".

"You have to know who you're celebrating with," SPD lead candidate Steffen Krach said in comments to the Rheinische Post newspaper.

Merz, without naming Die Linke, also expressed concern over "rising, radical and openly displayed antisemitism".

He pointedly called on the SPD and Greens to provide a "very clear response -- especially here in Berlin -- to the fact that Jewish life in Germany is no longer safe".

Kocak, in a social media statement, said he took "hundreds" of photos with supporters and stressed that the victory party was "open to the public".

"When people come up to me at our celebrations and want to take a photo with me, I assume that this is OK," he said, adding that "I expressly distance myself from statements praising violence and terrorism".

Die Linke co-chair Ines Schwerdtner said about Ibrahim and Remmo's visits: "We don't have any guest lists, but as soon as these people were seen, they were told to leave."