He saw himself as a victim and is now the defendant: the trial against musician Gil Ofarim begins in Leipzig. He is accused, among other things, of accusing a hotel employee of making anti-Semitic comments. But the public prosecutor believes: he is lying.
So now it’s starting. Starting this Tuesday, an incident that made national headlines around two years ago will be heard at the Leipzig regional court. At the center of what was happening at the time: the musician Gil Ofarim, known, among other things, from “The Voice of Germany”, and an employee of the luxury hotel “The Westin”, known, among other things, for his “fantastic view” of the trade fair city from his almost hundred meter high Bed tower.
On October 5, 2021, the musician and the house were on almost everyone’s lips for other reasons. Ofarim made serious allegations of anti-Semitism against the “Westin”. Two months later – the public’s verdict had long since been spoken – there was a spectacular turnaround in the case. Now the Leipzig regional court should clarify what really happened at the time.
The star answers the most important questions about the process.
What happened?
The trigger for the investigation by the public prosecutor and police was a video that Gil Ofarim published on his Instagram channel at the beginning of October 2021. In it, the musician, sitting on the driveway of the Leipzig hotel, described how he had been asked by an employee of the “Westin” to pack his necklace with a Star of David pendant before he was allowed to check in. “Have we learned nothing from the past?” was the bitter conclusion of the now 41-year-old.
The video was viewed millions of times and did not fail to achieve its intended effect. A storm of indignation swept over the “Westin” and its receptionist W. There were calls for a boycott, expressions of solidarity and probably also threats against the hotel. Even high-ranking politicians expressed their outrage. Ofarim’s video caused a stir worldwide. The hotel temporarily released employee W. and a colleague.
How was it determined?
Ofarim reported the hotel employee, and the Leipzig public prosecutor’s office initiated investigations against W. for, among other things, sedition and insults. But she in turn reported Ofarim for, among other things, slander and false suspicion. The hotel also had a law firm investigate the matter.
Anti-Semitism is rightly always a problem, as can be seen on the streets of Berlin and elsewhere in the fall of 2023. Openly displayed anti-Semitism against a celebrity with enormous reach, in a luxury hotel with enormous reputation – that has the makings of a huge scandal.
This is probably one of the reasons why the authorities in Saxony took the incident very seriously from the start and put immense effort into their investigation.
After dozens of witnesses, such as guests and employees of the hotel, had already been interviewed, the authorities decided to re-enact the incident at the original location in the “Westin” lobby at the beginning of December 2021 – with officers as actors. The goal: to find out whether everything really happened the way Gil Ofarim described it in his viral video.
What came out of the investigation?
“According to the public prosecutor’s office, Gil Ofarim’s claim (…) could not be confirmed as a result of the investigation,” the authority announced in March 2022. In particular, according to consistent media reports, it remained unclear whether the Star of David on Ofarim’s neck was even visible to the hotel employee. The case against hotel employee W. has been discontinued, according to the public prosecutor’s office.
Why is Gil Ofarim indicted now?
Not only were the investigators unable to prove the musician’s version, but what’s more: “In the opinion of the public prosecutor’s office, in the overall view of the information gained from this, the event as described by Gil Ofarim in his published video did not actually happen. “
In plain language: The public prosecutor’s office is of the opinion that Ofarim knowingly lied about the incident, not only in his video, but especially in his statements during the investigation. “This justifies the accusation of defamation and false suspicion.” The public prosecutor’s office brought this to the Leipzig regional court. If convicted, the musician could even face a prison sentence, but a fine is more likely. However, Ofarim is innocent until proven otherwise.
How are the legal proceedings against the musician going?
As of this Tuesday, the hearing will not take place in the district court – as is usually the case with the accused offenses – but in the Leipzig regional court. The public prosecutor’s office justifies this with the “special importance of the case”, among other things because of the great public interest.
Ofarim’s defense criticizes the large stage for the trial and described the judicial procedure in advance as a “show trial”. She announced that she wanted to “turn every stone twice” before the Leipzig regional court. The musician’s lawyers had already managed to have the trial collapsed around a year ago.
The trial is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., and a total of ten days of negotiations are planned until December 7th.
As always in criminal proceedings, the indictment will first be read out on Tuesday, after which Ofarim will have the opportunity to comment on the allegations. It remains to be seen whether he will do so. During the taking of evidence in the coming days, witnesses will be heard and videos will be viewed, among other things. Hotel employee W. is involved in the process as a co-plaintiff – after the internal investigation was completed, he was able to work at the “Westin” again.
What security measures are there?
The trial before the Leipzig regional court comes at a time when there is obvious increased danger for Jews – Gil Ofarim is no exception. Ofarim’s defense attorney, star lawyer Alexander Stevens from Munich, pointed out possible risks for his client in the run-up to the trial, for example when traveling to and from the regional court. The day before the negotiations began, he criticized the fact that the security authorities had not commented on the security situation to him.
The Leipzig regional court itself will become a high-security zone from Tuesday. The number of spectators permitted in room 115 has been reduced; every trial observer must be searched at least twice. An extensive “session police order” stipulates, among other things, that every visitor must identify themselves. No further details about the security measures taken were given.
How does the defendant express himself?
The musician sticks to his performance. “For me it wasn’t about the employee, but about anti-Semitism. I’m glad that a lot will now come out that hasn’t been said or written before,” he recently told “Welt am Sonntag.” “I know what happened to me.” Whether this is defiance or are they facts? The next ten days of negotiations will show it.
Stern PLUS will report comprehensively on the process from Leipzig (Try it here for 30 days for just one euro).
Sources: Gil Ofarim on Instagram, Leipzig public prosecutor’s office, Leipzig Regional Court, “Mirror”, “Time”, “World on Sunday”, “The Westin”, Alexander Stevens, News agencies DPA and AFP