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Gil Ofarim (archive): The Leipzig police are now said to have "considerable doubts" about the course of events originally described
Photo: Tobias Hase / picture alliance / dpa
Almost two weeks ago, the musician Gil Ofarim reported that he had become a victim of anti-Semitic hostility in Leipzig.
Accordingly, he had been asked by an employee of the Westin Hotel to wrap his necklace with a Star of David.
Then he can check in.
He reported this in an Instagram video that caused a sensation nationwide.
Now, according to media reports, recordings of the surveillance videos should raise questions.
According to a report by Bild am Sonntag, the videos show that Ofarim apparently did not wear a chain with a visible Star of David.
The recordings are therefore available to the newspaper.
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The »Leipziger Volkszeitung« also reported, citing investigators, that the evaluations of the surveillance cameras from the hotel lobby might come to this conclusion.
With the help of software programs, the quality of the recordings can be improved and details can be identified, according to the report.
Accordingly, one of the videos shows an excited Gil Ofarim at the check-in.
Due to data protection reasons, the recordings have no sound.
However, no chain with a Star of David can be seen.
Ofarim made a statement to “Bild am Sonntag” when asked and said: “It's not about whether the chain could be seen.” It was about the fact that he had been insulted in an anti-Semitic way.
According to information from the newspaper, the Leipzig police are now said to have "considerable doubts" about the course of events originally described.
During an interrogation, Ofarim said that he was no longer certain whether he was wearing a chain that evening.
A spokesman for the public prosecutor's office told the Leipziger Volkszeitung that the evaluation of the video recordings by the police and public prosecutor had not yet been completed.
Not just one, but several video recordings from the surveillance cameras were secured.
Which of these are relevant to the case and which are not cannot yet be said.
Ofarim made a complaint
Ofarim announced on Instagram last Tuesday that he had filed a criminal complaint against the hotel employee.
The Leipzig public prosecutor's office has so far received several reports of the incident a week ago - including from the accused hotel employee.
He accuses Ofarim of defamation and, according to earlier statements by the police, describes the events in a clearly different way than the artist.
According to a spokeswoman, the hotel had two employees on leave for the duration of the criminal investigation after the incident.
Ofarim is a German rock musician, the son of the Israeli singer Abi Ofarim, who died in 2018, and his third wife Sandra.
Gil Ofarim also works as an actor and has appeared in series such as "Gute Zeiten, Bad Zeiten" or TV formats such as "Let's Dance".
SPIEGEL conducted an interview with the 39-year-old shortly after the video published by Ofarim.
In it he spoke about his experiences with anti-Semitism and responded to the allegation of defamation.
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