Leftist candidate emails private notes to reporters by accident

THE DAILY BS: HOW MUCH CAN YOU HANDLE?

SPARE ME THE BS (I’ve got things to do)

Berlin politician Elif Eralp accidentally returned an interview transcript to Der Spiegel with internal notes expressing fears about people linked to Hamas-supporting activist circles.
The comments surfaced amid questions about activist Ibrahim Ibrahim, who had reportedly praised former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Eralp said she would not discuss private internal communications; critics questioned what the controversy meant for potential governing coalitions.

LAY IT ON ME (I’ve got time)

There’s an old rule in politics: never put in writing what you wouldn’t want to see on the front page. Berlin politician Elif Eralp has just received a memorable reminder.

While reviewing an interview with Der Spiegel, Eralp and her team inserted internal comments about a discussion of activist Ibrahim Ibrahim. The comments were mistakenly sent back to the magazine along with the transcript.

Ibrahim had attended a Left Party election celebration and had previously praised Yahya Sinwar, the former Hamas leader. The interview raised questions about the party’s proximity to activists whose rhetoric has drawn accusations of antisemitism.

Eralp reportedly wanted a portion of the exchange removed, explaining in internal notes that she feared putting herself and her family at risk by naming certain people. “I cannot put myself and my family in danger for SPIEGEL,” she wrote. Another note said: “He is afraid of these people, and so am I,” referring to her husband.

The accidental disclosure made the private discussion itself a political story. Critics asked how a politician seeking a leadership role could reconcile such fears with responsibility for public safety. Eralp and her supporters have argued that threats and security advice were relevant to her caution.

Durch ein Büroversehen ließ Elif Eralp den SPIEGEL wissen, sie habe große Angst vor den Clans und Hamasleuten, die ihr zum Wahlsieg verhalfen.

Heute verspricht sie 4 Mio. Berlinern, sie werde für deren Sicherheit sorgen. Großes Indianerehrenwort!

Hintergrund: Bisher behauptete Eralp, nur eine Kampagne sehe sie als Gefangene jener bösen Kräfte, die sie selbst rief. Durch den falschen Email-Anhang hat sie das aber nun selbst bestätigt.

Nach ihren „internen” Angaben traut sich Eralp nicht einmal, den bloßen Namen von Clanmitgliedern in der Öffentlichkeit auszusprechen. Wie will sie da für eine effektive Verbrechensbekämpfung sorgen?

— Stefan Homburg (@SHomburg) October 29, 2026

The episode also complicated discussion of possible alliances involving the Left Party, Social Democrats and Greens. Political opponents used the comments to question the party’s judgment, while Eralp said she would not discuss private correspondence and insisted she would not be intimidated.

The underlying questions about extremist rhetoric and political associations remain serious. But the unusual twist here was procedural: a candidate trying to revise an interview accidentally supplied reporters with a second story about why she wanted parts of the first one removed.