#Metoo brings deep crisis to the German Left

The announcement of the resignation of the 44-year-old co-chair of the party, Susanne Henning-Wales, was anything but a thunderbolt for the Left Party (Die Linke). She cited personal reasons and a lack of personal time for the upbringing of her 8-year-old son, however she hinted that the real reasons were other, deeper, long known within the Left.

“The last few months have been one of the most difficult in the history of the party (…). since February 2021 with Janine Whistler, who remains at the helm of the party.

Resignation in the shadow of allegations of sexism and violence

However, Henning-Velso did not stop at the need for “party renewal”. Her references to scandals of sexist behavior to sexual violence were also clear, which recently came to light in the “glaring deficits” of the party, as she stressed. “I apologize to the victims and stand by all efforts to make the Left a party where sexism has no place,” he said.

The bag of hell was opened after recent revelations by ten members of the local organization of Hesse for “exceeding limits, abuse of power and toxic macho climate” based on specific data (photos, videos, e-mails, testimonies). One of the allegations concerns the rape of a young girl by a member of the Left in Wiesbaden, which was even reported to the local party organization in 2021.

Another allegation concerns the harassment of a girl by the ex-partner of another Left co-chair, Janine Whistler. The complaint, according to the alleged victim, reached Whistler’s knowledge, who did not react – but she stated that none of her contacts with the complainant referred to sexual abuse or violence, nor did she ask for any help.

Spiegel’s revelations were just the beginning. This was followed by complaints from about 20 other people, not only from Hesse but from all over Germany. Regarding the events in Hesse, however, the local organization states that it had been aware of the complaints as early as November 2021 and has been examining them ever since. For his part, the party’s federal presidency said: “Patriarchal structures exist everywhere in society. The Left is no exception. We pledge not to tolerate or disguise behaviors.”

In the vortex of existential crisis and electoral failures

However, the statements of Jacob Hamas, spokesman for the youth of the Left, are also indicative of the crisis within the party. Hames describes a deeper, structural problem but also a timeless culture of tolerance and concealment. “We have a problem on the Left with groups of men, made up of members of the party who have been active in the party since its inception, who come together and help each other to consolidate their power. When such men go overboard, it is often said: “A good boy,” Hames told the Berlin daily Tagespiegel. “Abuse of power often makes things worse. The pattern is this: A middle-class executive promises a lot to a young partner and then takes advantage of it.”

The fact is that in addition to the revelations about sexism, sexual violence and abuse of power, the Left has been facing a series of electoral defeats for a long time. , a percentage significantly lower than the 9.2% it had in 2017. Its recent electoral failure in the state of Saarland with 5.3%.

Dimitra Kyranoudi, Berlin

Source: Deutsche Welle