by The trial against singer Gil Ofarim raises allegations of bias against the presiding judge. The chairman explains what is going on.
Update from November 16 at 14:44: A previously unknown witness may give the Ofarim trial a new direction. During a detailed analysis of the surveillance footage from the hotel lobby, the musician’s defense announced that a man had contacted him. He is also said to have had a negative experience with the hotel in question. It reports focus.de.
About six months before the incident, which is currently being investigated by the District Court of Leipzig, the hotel receptionist said something to a guest that could be interpreted as racist. Therefore, when asked to prove VAT, the employee replied: “We are still in Germany.”
It is not known whether it is the hotel manager who is accusing Ofarim of defamation. The man has not yet testified in court. The information comes from the defense. The judge wants to decide at a later date whether to call the man as a witness.
The surveillance footage should clarify: Did Ofarim actually wear the Star of David at the hotel?
Update from November 16 at 11:49: Did Gil Ofarim even wear a Star of David necklace? On the fifth day of the trial, forensic expert Dirk Labudde was asked whether it could be documented in any way, he reports. focus.de. The Star of David is not visible in the surveillance footage.
Labudde explains: When small objects are far from the camera, they are harder to see because the pixels become smaller. Therefore, Gil Ofarim’s Star of David “is not shown in the video as in the reference photo.”
At one point there is a flash in the video. Reflection,” says Labudde. But isn’t the flash too big, the defense asks? The expert replies: “The surface area could be larger than the object in the reflection, which would not be unusual.”
Update from November 16 at 6:32: The trial of musician Gil Ofarim continues on Thursday. Continuation of the explanations of the expert who assessed the recordings from the surveillance cameras. It is also about the behavior of people working in the hotel lobby. Further witnesses will also be interviewed. Time will tell whether they will manage to reach the district court in Leipzig. Ultimately, the WDL warning strike will probably largely paralyze rail traffic.
A day earlier, forensic expert Dirk Labudde had already denied the musician’s account. The chain with the Star of David was not visible from the moment I entered the lobby until I left the hotel. Ofarim himself remains silent in court for now.
The expert denies Ofarim: The chain with the Star of David was not visible
Update from November 15 at 21:23: In a trial against Jewish musician Gil Ofarim for defamation and false suspicions, an expert questioned the artist’s important performance. From entering the lobby to leaving the Leipzig hotel, no net with the Star of David was visible, forensic expert Dirk Labudde told the Leipzig district court on Wednesday.
According to the expert, the chain with the Star of David was only visible when Ofarim recorded a video on Instagram in front of the hotel. For this purpose, a forensic specialist extensively assessed the recordings from surveillance cameras. The expert’s statements in the trial will continue on Thursday.
Now the judge in the Ofarim case is accused of bias
Update from November 15 at 1:32 p.m.: Now Judge Stadler is shaking during the Ofarim trial. The lawyer’s letter is considered a request for bias against the chairman. He himself explains that he has been politically active since 2022 focus.de reported. A decision on how to deal with this will be made outside the general meeting next week.
Stadler gave a lecture on extremism to the Association of Judges. Title: “There are no enemies of the constitution in the civil service – how a constitutional state and democracy can arm themselves against extremists.”
Ofarim trial: surveillance video faked? Now an expert speaks out
Update from November 15 at 1:12 p.m.: Is the video of Ofarim’s trial even real? Yes, says an expert from the dpa news agency. The recordings were not falsified, he personally secured them after the incident at the request of the police. “Manipulation is unthinkable.”
The 51-year-old also denies the defense’s accusations that the surveillance footage from the hotel was shown to witnesses before the police investigation. The technician couldn’t explain how or when this should happen.
Ofarim trial: CCTV footage from hotel lobby visible to public for first time
Update from November 15 at 12:26: More witness testimony is expected on Wednesday in the trial against musician Gil Ofarim at the District Court of Leipzig. The day before, the witness did not confirm the report that Ofarim was discriminated against by the hotel manager because of the Star of David. Again Daily mirror As reported, Wednesday will also see the presentation of a report by forensic expert Dirk Labudde, who assessed the incident using surveillance cameras placed in the hotel lobby. But there are no sound recordings.
Surveillance video from the hotel lobby during Ofarim’s trial is visible to the public for the first time
November 15 update at 6:55: Shortly before the end of the third day of Gil Ofarim’s trial, the singer’s defense requested further evidence. The data will be on a USB stick and, according to the judge, will be assessed and reported on one of the following days focus.de. Either way, day four of the trial will be exciting. The hotel’s surveillance footage will be shown in court and made available to the public for the first time. In addition, further witnesses should be interviewed.
November 14 update at 15:10: According to the witness, Gil Ofarim’s testimony that the hotel manager discriminated against him because of the Star of David does not coincide with his personal observations. During the briefing, the 58-year-old stood close to the singer focus.de – he reports from the courtroom.
Due to this, a long queue formed at the hotel reception. The witness admits that when checking in at the hotel, he did not hear what the hotel manager and Ofarim were talking about. But at the counter, the singer was “calling and gesticulating.” That’s why he found Ofarim nervous. “He was angry and then started a conflict,” says the witness. He had the impression that the musician was upset “that he was not pulled out of the queue and provided with additional treatment.” According to the witness, however, this is only his subjective feeling focus.de he emphasized.
On the third day of the trial, Ofarim is accused by another witness – unaware of any discrimination
November 14 update at 12:00: Another witness is scheduled to speak on the third day of the trial against singer Gil Ofarim. like focus.de Further reports indicate that he is a regular guest of the hotel. The witness received the room card separately from the hotel staff and stated that he could not provide any additional explanations.
From this it appears that the man probably noticed the dissatisfaction in the queue “through Mr. Ofarim”, but was not aware of it. When asked by the prosecutor whether the witness had noticed that the phrase “pack the star”, which was important in the trial, he replied in the negative.
Original post from November 14, 2023: Leipzig – Did the hotel manager discriminate against Gil Ofarim because of his Star of David? Or maybe the Jewish musician is lying? This is what the trial of 41-year-old Ofarim, which began on Tuesday, November 7, at the district court in Leipzig, should clarify. There seemed to be a surprise on the third day of the trial. How focus.de informed that a new witness had contacted the prosecutor’s office. This therefore puts a burden on the singer.
Ofarim trial: A surprise on the third day of the trial – a new witness appears who incriminates the singer
As the portal further reports, the new witness contacted the prosecutor’s office by phone. The reason was the coverage of the trial. Accordingly, the witness from Brandenburg remembered standing directly behind Gil Ofarim in the hotel lobby during the incident in question. How focus.de According to further reports, the witness claims that he did not experience “any insult” from the hotel employee. According to prosecutor Ricken, it is not possible at this time to determine whether the witness’s testimony is accurate.
The 41-year-old, born in Munich, will appear in court on charges including: defamation and false suspicions. At the beginning of October 2021, in a video on Instagram, the musician made serious allegations of anti-Semitism against the manager of a Leipzig hotel. Ofarim was told to remove the Star of David and only then was he allowed to check in, the singer accused. However, after an extensive investigation by the prosecutor’s office, Ofarim was charged. The case against the hotel manager was discontinued.
