Many former leftists: BSW founds regional association in NRW

Nach der Eröffnung der Versammlung verging am Samstag im Bochumer Jahrhunderthaus nur knapp eine halbe Stunde, dann war der nächste Landesverband des „Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht“ (BSW) gegründet – mit den Stimmen aller anwesenden 84 BSW-Mitglieder. Knapp acht Monate nach der Gründung der Bundespartei beginnt das BSW damit auch im bevölkerungsreichsten Bundesland mit dem Aufbau von Parteistrukturen.

Der neue Landesverband hat für die Gesamtpartei große Bedeutung. Christian Leye, der Generalsekretär des Bundes-BSW kommt aus Duisburg. Neben Sevin Dagdelen und Andrej Hunko gehörte er zu jenen Bundestagsabgeordneten aus Nordrhein-Westfalen, die vor rund einem Jahr die Linkspartei verließen. Zudem sitzt seit wenigen Wochen Thomas Geisel, der frühere sozialdemokratische Düsseldorfer Oberbürgermeister, für das BSW im EU-Parlament. Ebenfalls aus Nordrhein-Westfalen kommt der stellvertretende BSW-Bundesvorsitzende Amid Rabieh. Auch er gehörte bis vor kurzem der Linkspartei an. Nun führt er gemeinsam mit dem Düsseldorfer Anwalt Jan Ristau den neuen BSW-Landesverband.

Namensgeberin Sahra Wagenknecht war am Samstag nicht in Bochum, obwohl das nordrhein-westfälische BSW ihr Heimatverband werden soll. Auch für die Linkspartei hatte Wagenknecht bis zuletzt auf der nordrhein-westfälischen Landesliste für den Bundestag kandidiert. Dabei passten der sehr linke Landesverband der Linkspartei und die nach diversen Häutungen linkskonservativ und dezidiert migrationskritisch auftretende frühere Wortführerin der kommunistischen Plattform schon lange nicht mehr zusammen. Höhepunkt des zuletzt ganz offen ausgetragenen Konflikts war das Parteiausschlussverfahren, das einige nordrhein-westfälische Genossen kurz vor der Bundestagswahl 2021 gegen Wagenknecht anstrengten.

In his introductory speech in Bochum, Rabieh said that since the state elections in Thuringia and Saxony a week ago, it has been clear “that the established parties in this republic are no longer cutting it.” This applies not only to eastern Germany, but also to North Rhine-Westphalia. Only 50 percent of those eligible to vote took part in the state elections in NRW in May 2022, which makes it clear that people are turning away from established politics. Established politics has now even become a threat to democracy, said Rabieh. “Because if the interests of the overwhelming majority of people in this country do not prevail, then people will turn away from the parties, from democracy and from the institutions.”

When asked later, Rabieh did not want to specify which election results the North Rhine-Westphalian BSW was aiming for. In the European elections, the party received 4.4 percent of the vote in NRW, 1.8 percentage points less than the national average. In Saxony-Anhalt – where a regional association was also founded on Saturday – the BSW received 15 percent in the European elections.

In terms of content, Rabieh remained vague in Bochum. The BSW is running “to put the wishes, dreams and hopes of the citizens of this country at the centre of the political debate”, to end the policy of empty promises and “to improve the concrete living conditions of the citizens of North Rhine-Westphalia. The miserable state of the streets and cities in Germany reflects the state of the SPD, CDU, FDP and Greens.

In their introductory speeches, neither Rabieh nor the other new co-chair Ristau said anything about migration policy – an important core issue for the BSW. It was only during a press conference that the two leaders admitted to Wagenknecht’s strict course when asked. The North Rhine-Westphalian regional association also supports limiting immigration to a level that does not overburden the state and its infrastructure.

Ristau said that the current law must be enforced, for example by turning people away at the border. “The issue of migration is a load-bearing wall for us,” said Rabieh, who also spoke out in favor of “consistent deportations.” “If someone does not have the right to stay, then the authorities must take action. We want to put the judiciary in a position to take effective action.”

When Rabieh applied for a seat in the state parliament for the Left Party in 2017, he promised, according to his application, which can still be viewed online today, to demonstrate against deportations together with refugee initiatives. The lawyer also complained at the time that no other federal state deports as many asylum seekers as North Rhine-Westphalia.

The further development in North Rhine-Westphalia is to follow strict guidelines, as has been the case in the BSW to date. Initially, other interested parties can only become supporters, which is why the BSW in NRW currently only has a little more than members. Only after a while will a decision be made as to who can become a member. In this way, the BSW wants to check in detail whether interested parties are actually on the side of the party and its namesake, and keep troublemakers – Rabieh spoke of “difficult people” – away.