Markus Söder Attacks Die Linke as Berlin Coalition Talks on Housing Expropriation Begin

Berlin's Linke, Greens and SPD agreed over the weekend to open coalition negotiations, and Markus Söder responded with immediate attacks. The Bavarian minister president accuses Die Linke of "deeply rooted antisemitism," though the article notes his CSU has worked with parties it considers more dangerous on that front. Behind the anger sits a concrete policy threat: a red-green-red Berlin government plans to socialize roughly 160,000 apartments and take further steps aimed at lowering rents. Conservatives, the right and the real estate lobby have pushed back against the plan. The article, published by Der Freitag, argues that Söder's fury is less about antisemitism than about the housing program, and that his reaction reveals what conservatives fear most about the Berlin talks. No coalition has yet been formed; negotiations have only been agreed to.