The creation of the Sahra Wagenknecht deepens the crisis in the German Left Party, die LINKE. As well as splitting the Left, it means that die LINKE has lost government money and has been forced to sack its parliamentary workers.

Nonetheless, some believe that the departure of Wagenknecht will strengthen the party’s left wing. Wagenknecht has consistently taken indefensible positions attacking refugees and attacking people fighting racism or for LGBTQ rights as being part of a “scurrilous minority”,

The trurh seems to be the opposite. The party remains in control of people who’s aim is to go into coalition with the neoliberal SPD and Greens. The LINKE run state of Thüringen is deporting refugees and the party’s position on the bombing of Gaza has been consistently disappointing.

The LINKE Internationals group receives some funding from the party. At our last meeting we decided to stay in the party and fight for radical politics, but to continue to monitor the state of the party and our relationship to it, including possible alternatives.

On Monday, 4^th December, we will continue this discussion, with an input by Freek Blauwhof, Dutch socialist who works for MP Pascal Meiser in the Bundestag. Everyone is invited to join this discussion, which starts at 7pm in Ferat Kocak’s office, Schierker Straße 26.

The discussion will be preceded by some organisational points to plan our future activities. Here is the current suggested agenda:

• Report back from Küfa / Palestine film night

• Report back from the Palestine reading group – now every Friday night at Nansenstraße 2

• Christmas party- next Saturday in Bilgisaray. What do we want to do?

• Walking Tours next year

• Possible meeting with Patrick Bond in January

  Patrick is a South African academic and activist who’ll be in Berlin from 11^th – 31^st January.

• Keynote speakers for Summer Camp

  Current suggestions:

  • What sort of Left do we need (with speakers from different countries)

  • One of the following:

    • Palestine and other Middle East countries

    • Palestine and the environment

    • A feminist perspective on Palestine

We’d like to vote on which subject we choose