Germany 'no longer safe' for Jews, Merz says following defeat by Left Party in Berlin

"The fact that Jewish life in Germany is no longer safe is the most serious burden of recent years," Merz stated in a press conference.

German Jews are no longer safe in the country, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz claimed on Monday, following his party's recent defeat by the far-left Left Party in Berlin's state election.

"The fact that Jewish life in Germany is no longer safe is the most serious burden of recent years," Merz stated in a press conference.

The Left Party has faced multiple accusations of antisemitism in the past, including after a campaign event in August featured a rapper who chanted "Death to the IDF" and "Yalla yalla Intifada."

Left Party leader denies accusations of antisemitism

The leader of the Left Party, 45-year-old Elif ‌Eralp, has been compared to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, particularly for her focus on social media and personal campaigning. 

She has denied accusations of antisemitism, saying that "Celebrating violence and terrorism is absolutely unacceptable," and "I will do everything to ensure that Jewish people - just like Muslims, queer people, and everyone in our city - can feel safe."

An annual report by Germany's independent antisemitism monitoring network RIAS revealed in June that antisemitic incidents hit an all-time high in Germany since monitoring began in 2025, with 8,725 recorded offenses.