The violent threat of the radical left

Alongside legitimate concerns about the rise of the AfD, radical left-wing parties in Germany also deserve critical scrutiny. Notable support from Berlin’s organised crime clans should also be a cause for concern, writes columnist Derk Jan Eppink.

The Netherlands has more self-proclaimed Gaza experts than Germany specialists, but there is an urgent need to take a closer look beyond our eastern border. Germany is undergoing its greatest political transition since reunification in 1990, albeit in the wrong direction. Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is polling as the largest party in the whole of Germany.

Meanwhile, the capital, Berlin, has degenerated into a hotbed of anti-Semitism, the worst since the Second World War. Amsterdam’s Mayor Halsema should be looking to Berlin rather than cosying up to New York’s Mayor Mamdani, who is not free from anti-Semitism.

When the AfD emerged as the largest party in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the political establishment in Berlin reacted with resignation. After all, it was only East Germany. The AfD seemed like the big bad wolf in a sparsely populated area full of ‘Ossis’. The big surprise, however, came from Berlin, where Die Linke – the right-wing successor to the former GDR ruling party, the SED – emerged as the largest party. Led by its lead candidate Elif Eralp, Die Linke secured 25.7 per cent of the vote; the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) remained stuck at 18.8 per cent.

The successors to the GDR might well have been celebrating a jubilant victory party, were it not for the appearance of some mysterious guests joining in the celebrations: leading figures from Arab criminal syndicates in Berlin. Among them was Issa Remmo, leader of the Remmo clan; notorious for drug trafficking, extortion, protection rackets and money laundering. Their method: brutal violence. The centre of this underworld is the Neukölln district. Other gang leaders appeared in his entourage to celebrate the victory. The leadership of Die Linke was deeply troubled by the presence of these unexpected gang leaders.

„Natürlich kenne ich ihn“ – Issa Remmo widerspricht Linken-Politiker Ferat Koçak https://t.co/28HR1xB6lP pic.twitter.com/wj2U4mxevN

— WELT (@welt) October 9, 2026

With its 3.9 million inhabitants, Berlin records more criminal offences than the whole of Poland, with a population of 37.6 million. After the fall of the Wall in 1989, many expected Berlin to become a shining star in Europe. At first it seemed that way, but the city became a magnet for criminals. Criminal clans from the Middle East, originating from Syria and Lebanon, found their way to West Berlin. In the mid-1970s, gang members travelled from Lebanon – ravaged by civil war – to the GDR, before moving on to West Berlin via East Berlin. From there, criminal syndicates grew to unmanageable proportions.

Die Linke and the clan leaders were soon on the same political wavelength. Political telepathy. According to Die Linke, the tough stance against the Arab clans was ‘racist’. That was music to the ears of the clan leaders. In Die Linke’s analysis, the Berlin police’s approach is ‘too harsh’. Hence: ‘fewer police’, resulting in ‘less crime’. Applause from the gang leaders was guaranteed. According to Die Linke, combating clan formation was ‘Islamophobic’. Once again, the gang leaders were delighted.

Subsequently, the right-wing successor to the GDR stepped it up a notch. Israel was the source of all evil in the Middle East, and ‘anti-Semitism’ became a weapon of political propaganda. The Arab clan system could not have put it better. Die Linke propagated this and ensured that 51 per cent of the Muslim vote went to that party. Jewish citizens in Berlin became a target; the ‘Nie Wieder’ slogan faded into the background. Berlin’s middle classes were struck with fear by Die Linke’s communist demand: the expropriation of home ownership. The economic philosophy: if the rich are expropriated, the poor can live better!

This trend of anti-Semitism is also present in Amsterdam. Jewish citizens must be cautious in public. Criticism of Israel, which has been fighting for its survival in the Middle East ever since its founding in 1948, is being recycled into anti-Semitism by the political left in European cities. With ‘students’ smashing everything in sight on the front line and fearful administrators who think they are appeasing the situation but are actually making everything worse. It is a slippery slope back to times that seemed to be behind us.