Gil Ofarim
Witnesses corroborate the statement of the co-plaintiff
© IMAGO/Christian Grube
Who tells the truth? Witnesses’ statements on Tuesday cast doubt on Gil Ofarim’s claims.
The musician Gil Ofarim, 41, currently has to answer to the regional court in Leipzig. A hotel employee at the Leipzig hotel “The Westin” has sued the 41-year-old as a co-plaintiff for defamation. More witnesses testified on the third day of the trial on Tuesday (November 14th). Two businessmen testified before the Leipzig regional court, among other things, that they had not heard any anti-Semitic statements on that day. In addition, they could not remember the clothes or jewelry Ofarim wore that day. Other witnesses also stated that they did not notice any jewelry on the musician.
According to MDR The two witnesses reported in court that they were regular guests at the hotel. On that day, a queue formed in the lobby due to technical problems. Because they got their key cards before him, a short conversation with Ofarim ensued. The musician complained, among other things, that the two witnesses were allowed to appear. They then went to the rooms and only found out about Ofarim’s allegations from the media the next day, according to the witnesses. Other witnesses also reported on Tuesday that they remembered Ofarim’s angry mood.
In October, the musician accused the hotel employee, who is now appearing as a co-plaintiff and witness in the trial, of anti-Semitism in a video shared via his social media channels. Among other things, Ofarim claimed in an Instagram video that the hotel employee asked him to take off his Star of David. The hotel employee then reported Ofarim for defamation, which is why the musician is now in court.
A digital forensic expert should help
Negotiations have been ongoing since November 7th. The court has set a total of ten days until December 7th. According to MDR, other eyewitnesses to the incident will be invited later. A report on the video recordings from the hotel lobby is also expected. Digital forensic scientist Dirk Labudde has been invited as an expert.