The State Attorney’s Office in Leipzig has filed a false suspicion and defamation suit against musician Gill Ofarim.
Friday, April 1, 2022, updated from 9.45am: Singer Gill Ofarim said he was attacked anti-Semitically at the Leipzig Hotel. The musician is now facing defamation charges (see first statement). Ofarim management has not yet commented on the new situation. On the other hand, Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU *) criticized Ofarim and apologized.
The singer “not only insulted the staff, the hotel, the city and Saxony, but also the Jewish community,” Gretchmer wrote on Twitter on Thursday (March 31, 2022). “At least what you expect now is forgiveness – even from those who jump to conclusions and discriminate.”
Saxony Prime Minister Gil Ofarim commented
Kretschmer pointed to her Tweet He pointed out that “great trust has grown between Germans and Jews” over the past few decades. “This is a high and valuable asset and we will not allow it to be destroyed,” he said.
However, with the distinction between Germans and Jews, Gretchmer faced criticism. “A large number of Jews in Germany are German. Like most Saxons, one does not exclude the other,” one Twitter user pointed out. “I really have a big mouth, but it makes me speechless,” another user wrote on Twitter.
Gill Ofform was charged with defamation
Report from Thursday, March 31, 2022 at 1:30 pm: Leipzig – Leipzig public prosecutor has indicted musician and actor Gill Ofarim. This was reported by the AFP news agency, among other things. Ofarim said he was the victim of an anti-Semitic attack at a Leipzig hotel. Now the singer has to answer in court.
The singer was charged with false suspicion and defamation. Ofarim last year accused an employee of a Leipzig hotel of insulting him anti-Semitically. However, according to investigators, this allegation has not been proven. The Commission of Inquiry announced on Thursday (03/31/2022) that the proceedings against the hotel employee have been suspended. The entire hotel team is now “very relaxed after long weeks and months about the public prosecutor’s decision”. Due to the huge public impact of the case, the indictment was brought to the regional court, not the district court.
Gil Ofarim: False suspicion and slanderous accusation against musicians
In a video posted on Instagram in October, Ofarim said he was asked to untie his chain with the David star at the Leipzig Hotel. The release of Ofarim’s video created waves. Among other things, then-Foreign Minister Haiko Mass was “stunned” and called on the community to “stand shoulder to shoulder” against anti-Semitism.
According to the State Attorney’s Office, the incident described by Ofarim did not occur. Extensive inquiries were conducted and numerous witnesses were questioned. In addition, a digital forensic scientist evaluated the recordings of video cameras hanging in the hotel area. “According to the public prosecutor’s office, in light of the overall knowledge gained from this, the incident described by Gill Ofarim in his published video did not actually take place,” the attorney general said. As there was no suspicion on the part of the hotel employee, his activities were stopped.
Charges against Gil Ofarim: Anti-Semitic allegations against hotel staff
On the other hand, Ofarim is quite skeptical that he released his video knowing that his statements were untrue and with the knowledge that it would bring slander and publicity stigma to the hotel staff concerned. In addition, Ofarim was accused of not only repeating the wrong sequence of events during a police investigation on October 12, but also openly reporting it.
The Leipzig Regional Court must now decide whether to allow the charges and open key proceedings. The dpa news agency has asked the management of Ofarim for a report on the artist. (AFP / dpa with Sne / svw / kas) * fr.de is an offer IPPEN.MEDIA.
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