Let’s be clear: Die Linke, Germany’s leading left-wing force, which resoundingly won Sunday’s elections in Berlin, is not an antisemitic party. It does not have an “antisemitism problem,” nor is it a menace to Jews in Germany or Berlin. While some Jews in the city perceive the Left as a threat, this perception is fueled by a false media narrative lacking a factual basis.

That Die Linke is not a hotbed of antisemitism is obvious to anyone taking an honest look at the party: its leaders, its campaign methods, and the deep, sometimes overcharged embrace of Germany’s anti-antisemitism discourse which governs its rhetoric. Die Linke is committed to protecting Jewish life alongside a broader anti-racist vision. In this respect, it differs from mainstream German approaches to Jewish protection, which often treat the safety of Jews and the freedom of others as a zero-sum game.

Die Linke has a large membership that is passionate about Palestinian solidarity and harshly critical of Israeli war crimes. Occasionally, activists express these views in ways unbefitting a democratic left-wing party, by making statements or using symbols that are seen as supporting armed resistance. This is an issue, and it’s at odds with the party’s democratically adopted resolutions on Israel and Palestine. A party must maintain a political line at its events and among its members. At the same time, these infractions do not reflect an antisemitic culture within the party.