Left-Wing Politician Ferat Koçak Resigns From Interior Committee Over Clan Contacts
On September 30, 2026, Berlin Left Party politician Ferat Koçak announced his resignation from the interior committee of the German Bundestag following intense public scrutiny over his contacts with members of the Remmo criminal clan and a pro-Palestinian activist tied to a designated terror organization. Koçak admitted on the platform X to being naive and overwhelmed, stating he failed to live up to his own standards as a parliamentarian.
Resignation From the Bundestag Interior Committee
Ferat Koçak stepped down from his post on the interior committee of the German Bundestag on September 30, 2026, following mounting political pressure.
“I have made a mistake,” Koçak wrote on X, as reported by Tagesspiegel. “In dealing with my contact with the Remmo family, I have not lived up to my own self-image.” He added that he was naive and overwhelmed, taking full responsibility while maintaining that he neither granted advantages to the Remmos nor received any from them.
The controversy initially flared up following the Berlin state elections. Koçak, who won a direct mandate for the Left Party in Neukölln during the 2025 federal election, faced immediate scrutiny over social media documentation and public appearances linking him to controversial figures.
Controversial Clan Contacts and Smartphone Donations
The reporting revealed that Koçak had posted a call on Instagram in early 2026 seeking smartphone donations for Antifa youths whose devices had been confiscated by police.
Firas Rammo responded to the appeal, offering a device and writing, “Brother, whatever you need, whatever I can do for you, let me know.” Koçak responded by sharing his office address and later exchanged pleasantries, including writing “Greetings with respect back to your father” in reference to clan patriarch Issa Rammo. On February 6, 2026, Koçak went to the family’s office to pick up the phone, where he encountered Issa Rammo.
Koçak told Zeit that he recognized Issa Rammo from media reports only upon arriving at the office, describing it as an overwhelming situation. Critics pointed to these interactions as compromising, particularly given Koçak’s past legislative focus on issues surrounding organized crime and his previous advocacy against using the term “clan crime.” Tagesschau noted that critics argue the terminology stigmatizes people with immigrant backgrounds based solely on family ties, a position largely shared by the Left Party.
PFLP Photo Controversy and Party Fallout
The PFLP is classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States.
When questioned about the photograph by Zeit, Koçak stated that he did not recognize Ibrahim at that moment. The local Neukölln Left Party chapter subsequently distanced itself from the presence of the activist, stating that he was not on their registration list and that no political or personal relationship existed with him.
Following the revelations, Koçak’s parliamentary functions were temporarily suspended before he formally relinquished his seat on the interior committee at the end of September 2026.