(Adnkronos) – The candidate for the office of mayor-governor of the city-state of Berlin, Elif Eralp, and the Berlin section of her party (Die Linke) have initiated legal action against the federal Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, for a statement in which he called Eralp ‘antisemitic’. According to lawyer Jasper Prigge, quoted by Dpa, the complaint alleges that the Interior Minister endorsed a statement describing Eralp as “antisemitic”, constituting an offense of defamation and insult.
On Thursday, during a German talk show, a moderator addressed the minister, and made a slip of the tongue, then promptly corrected himself: “Elif Eralp says she is an antisemite… she is not an antisemite,” he stated. Dobrindt then replied: “Oh yes, she is.” Previously, Dobrindt had stated that the Berlin section of the party “openly tolerated antisemites and extremists in its orbit.” Eralp has repeatedly condemned all forms of antisemitism and incitement to violence. Die Linke won the regional elections on September 20 in Berlin with 25.7% of the votes.
