Gil Ofarim indicted by prosecutors over anti-Semitism allegations against hotel

Created: 03/31/2022, 14:48

By: Julia Volkenand

The singer Gil Ofarim 2020 during an interview.

The musician was charged with false suspicion.

© Tobias Hase/dpa

Musician Gil Ofarim was accused of defamation and false suspicion by the Leipzig public prosecutor's office.

Leipzig – Because of false suspicion and defamation, the Leipzig public prosecutor's office has now brought charges against the artist around six months after the anti-Semitism allegations by the musician Gil Ofarim*.

This was announced by the public prosecutor's office on Thursday.

Extensive investigations revealed that the alleged anti-Semitism incident in a Leipzig hotel did not happen as Ofarim had described in a video. * The investigation against a hotel employee was discontinued.

Ofarim's management has been asked to comment on the artist.

Gil Ofarim charged with defamation over anti-Semitism allegations

Ofarim recorded the video in front of the hotel in early October 2021 and said that a hotel employee had asked him to take off his Star of David necklace.

The video went viral and triggered numerous expressions of solidarity.

Ofarim later filed a complaint, but the affected hotel employee also defended himself and in turn reported the musician for defamation.

According to the public prosecutor's office, "overall" came to the conclusion that what happened as Ofarim described did not happen.

The musician told the untruth.

The district court of Leipzig must now decide whether to allow the charges against the musician.