The musician Gil Ofarim claims to have been subjected to anti-Semitic insults in a Leipzig hotel. The public prosecutor doesn’t believe him. Now Ofarim himself sits in the dock.
A good two years ago, the Jewish musician Gil Ofarim made serious allegations of anti-Semitism against an employee of a Leipzig hotel. The case made waves across Germany. The Leipzig public prosecutor did not believe the artist and brought charges against the 41-year-old.
The trial against the 41-year-old artist begins at 9 a.m. in the Leipzig regional court on charges including false suspicions and defamation.
Description in viral video
On October 4, 2021, Ofarim described in a video that went viral that an employee of a Leipzig hotel asked him to take off his Star of David necklace so that he could check in. The musician later filed a complaint, but the hotel employee concerned also defended himself and in turn reported the musician for defamation.
The public prosecutor’s office had extensively investigated. It turned out that the alleged anti-Semitism incident in the hotel did not happen as the musician had described it in the video, it was said. The investigation against the hotel employee was discontinued. The court has scheduled ten days of hearings until December 7th.
A few days before the trial began, the musician had stuck to his allegations. “I know what happened to me. It wasn’t about the employee, but about anti-Semitism,” the 41-year-old told “Welt am Sonntag”. He is happy that a lot will now come out that has not been said or written before. He has trust in the judiciary.
“I didn’t even begin to expect what this video would trigger. And I would do it again,” said Ofarim in the newspaper interview. The presumption of innocence applies until the proceedings are legally concluded.
Ofarim’s lawyer has security concerns
Ofarim’s lawyer has raised security concerns about the heated situation in the Middle East. It was unclear whether those involved could enter and exit the court safely, said attorney Alexander Stevens. Meanwhile, the regional court is examining whether security measures on site need to be increased. They are in contact with the police. The spokesman for the regional court did not want to give details when asked. In any case, every visitor to the regional court is checked at the entrance.
The Leipzig regional court has scheduled ten days of hearings until December 7th. At the start on Tuesday, the indictment will be read out and Ofarim will have the opportunity to comment on the allegations. His lawyer left it unclear whether he would do so. The witness statement of the affected hotel employee is planned for the afternoon.
Source: Stern
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