Home Breaking Dispute over Ukraine passage – Sahra Wagenknecht changes controversial application

Dispute over Ukraine passage – Sahra Wagenknecht changes controversial application

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Immediately before the Left Party Congress in Erfurt, Left Party Member of the Bundestag Sahra Wagenknecht defended herself against accusations of a lack of solidarity with Ukraine. In an interview with the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” (“NOZ”), she explained that she had revised a criticized amendment for the party congress.

A group led by Wagenknecht is calling for drastic changes to the party leadership’s motion to emphasize NATO’s shared responsibility for the Russian attack on Ukraine. The fact that a passage expressing solidarity with Ukraine was to be removed from the party leadership’s motion caused a stir. After criticism, this section should now remain in the amendment by the Wagenknecht group, reports the “NOZ” and “Spiegel Online”.

This passage states: “Our solidarity is with the people of Ukraine who are suffering, who have to resist or who have to flee. Our solidarity also belongs to the people in Russia who oppose the war, who desert and fear persecution for doing so; the people who oppose war worldwide and support people on the run.”

In an interview with the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”, Wagenknecht defends himself – and accuses her critics of “falsification”. “For days there have been reports that we allegedly wanted to remove solidarity with Ukraine with our application,” said the former parliamentary group leader. “This is a deliberate falsification, because even if our application were accepted, statements of solidarity with the Ukrainian population would have remained in many places in the main application. But we will now expressly adopt the passages that are repeatedly quoted and will change our proposal for them.”

In an interview with the “NOZ”, Wagenknecht linked the change with the hope “that from now on we will discuss what is really at stake: that the left is not allowed to participate in the unspeakable rhetoric of a turning point”.

However, criticism of the Russian war of aggression continues to be amended in the revised motion. For example, the sentence “We condemn Russia’s criminal war of aggression in the strongest possible terms” is to be deleted, reports “Spiegel Online”. Or a wording on Russia’s “nationalistic, militaristic and autocratic great power ideology” should be removed.

The motion is intended to condemn the “struggle for power, profit and spheres of influence” in general, Wagenknecht emphasized to “Spiegel Online”. “The left should not lag behind the pope, who pointed out that ‘NATO barking at Russia’s door’ is partly responsible for the outbreak of the war.” The Ukraine war was unjustifiable, but probably could have been avoided.

The left meets on Friday for the party conference in Erfurt to re-elect their board and clarify factual issues. After bitter election defeats and disputes, the party is in crisis.