Gil Ofarim had only made up an anti-Semitic incident. After paying a fine, the proceedings against him were finally dropped. However, the musician still has to pay a lot.
The proceedings against the Jewish musician Gil Ofarim (42) regarding a fabricated Star of David scandal in a Leipzig hotel have been finally discontinued after the fine was paid. This was decided by the 6th Criminal Division of the Leipzig Regional Court, a court spokesman announced. According to the decision, the costs of the proceedings will be borne by the state treasury. “Mr. Ofarim must pay his own costs for the defense and the costs of the co-plaintiff,” said the court spokesman.
In October 2021, Ofarim made accusations of anti-Semitism against a Leipzig hotel in a video. In it, the musician described how the hotel manager had asked him to take off his chain with the Star of David so that he could check in. The video spread widely on social networks. Ofarim later filed a complaint, but the hotel manager also fought back and in turn reported the musician for defamation. In court, Ofarim finally confessed and apologized.
The proceedings against Ofarim for defamation and false accusation were then provisionally suspended at the Leipzig Regional Court at the end of November last year. However, the musician had to pay a sum of 10,000 euros as a condition – half to the Israelite religious community in Leipzig and half to the House of the Wannsee Conference Memorial and Educational Center in Berlin. Ofarim only finally paid after an extension of the deadline.
Source: Stern
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