Security review ahead of coalition decision
Eralp, who hopes to become Berlin's governing mayor, reportedly asked police to reassess her security status. Security sources said the review identified a concrete threat under the current circumstances.
The conference will decide whether the Linke enters coalition talks with the Greens and the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Both prospective partners had already agreed to begin talks; as of October 29, the Linke's decision was still pending.
Authorities considered social media appeals for a rally outside the venue against what organizers called voter betrayal and in support of consistent solidarity with Palestine and socialization. Those appeals, together with the Spiegel report published Thursday, prompted the protection measure.
Der Tagesspiegel reported that, as of October 29, the Linke's state working group on Palestine solidarity, Landesarbeitsgemeinschaft Palästinasolidarität, was mobilizing a protest against the party leadership at Saturday's conference.
Earlier security talks found no specific threat
Before the latest assessment, Berlin's State Criminal Police Office (LKA) had no evidence of a concrete threat to Eralp, according to Spiegel information confirmed to dpa. Security sources said the agency had therefore issued no warning of such a threat.
Eralp had received the same kind of security briefing offered to other lead candidates in Berlin's state election, with standard, general advice on reducing risks. The Palestinian activist Ibrahim Ibrahim was not discussed in that conversation, the sources said.
Only two members of Berlin's Senate receive general personal protection: Governing Mayor Kai Wegner of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Interior Senator Iris Spranger of the SPD.
Internal interview notes exposed family concerns
Spiegel reported that Eralp feared for her family's safety if she spoke explicitly about a prominent Palestinian activist and terror sympathizer with whom Linke members had been in contact. The magazine said those concerns appeared in internal comments on an interview transcript that her office accidentally returned with the comments still attached.
The activist Eralp avoided naming is Ibrahim Ibrahim. Der Tagesspiegel describes him as a 70-year-old born in Lebanon and the public face of the Vereinigtes Palästinensisches Nationalkomitee (VPNK). The network brings together supporters of Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and has many sympathizers within the Berlin Linke.
As of late October 2026, Berlin prosecutors were investigating Ibrahim on suspicion of using symbols and distributing propaganda material of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations. Der Tagesspiegel noted that such proceedings have been common since the 2023 Hamas ban and that Ibrahim is not known to have participated in militant actions in Germany.
The newspaper also reported that Ibrahim traveled to Istanbul a few days after Berlin's September 20, 2026, election to attend a conference with officials from Hamas circles. The event was organized by the Palestinian National Authority for Popular Action. Ibrahim told Spiegel that he wanted to help strengthen democratic processes.
Criticism of the Linke and pressure within the party
The Spiegel revelations drew criticism across party lines. Berlin CDU leader Stefan Evers urged the Greens and SPD to abandon plans for a government with the Linke. Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews, accused the Linke of being unable to distance itself from terror sympathizers and antisemites. SPD member of the Bundestag Karl Lauterbach advised his party to keep its distance from a Berlin coalition with the Linke.
Frank Teichert, Berlin state head of the German Police Union (DPolG), offered a different assessment of Eralp's concerns. According to Der Tagesspiegel, he believes she is worried less about Ibrahim himself than about his supporters within her party. In Teichert's view, those supporters campaigned successfully with anti-Israel propaganda and now want their demands accommodated, potentially leaving Eralp indirectly vulnerable to blackmail.
