by In the trial against singer Gil Ofarim, an accusation of bias against the presiding judge emerges. The president explains what it is about.
Update November 16, 2.44pm: A previously unknown witness could give the Ofarim trial a new direction. In the midst of meticulously analyzing surveillance video from the hotel lobby, the musician’s defense announced that a man had contacted them. He is also said to have had negative experiences at the hotel in question. This reports focus.de.
About six months before the incident, which the Leipzig Regional Court is currently investigating, the hotel receptionist allegedly said something to the guest that could be interpreted as racist. Therefore, when asked to show the VAT, the employee replied: “We are still in Germany.”
It is not known whether it is the hotel manager who accuses Ofarim of defamation. The man has not yet testified in court. The information comes from the defense. The judge wants to decide later whether or not to call the man to the witness stand.
The surveillance video should clarify: Ofarim was really wearing a Star of David in the hotel?
Update November 16, 11.49am: Did Gil Ofarim also wear a Star of David necklace? On the fifth day of the trial, forensic expert Dirk Labudde was asked whether this could somehow be documented, he reports focus.de. The Star of David cannot be seen in the surveillance video.
Labudde explains: When small objects are far from the camera, they are harder to see because the pixels become smaller. Gil Ofarim’s Star of David is therefore “not shown in the recording like the one in the comparison image”.
At a certain point in the video you see a flash. A reflection, says Labudde. But isn’t the flash excessive, the defense asks. The expert replies: “The surface may be larger than the reflected object, this would not be unusual.”
Update Nov. 16, 6:32 a.m.: The trial of musician Gil Ofarim continues on Thursday. The explanations of the expert who evaluated the surveillance camera recordings continue. He also concerns the behavior of those involved in the hotel lobby. Other witnesses will also be heard. It remains to be seen whether they will reach the Leipzig Regional Court. Ultimately, the GDL warning strike is likely to largely paralyze rail traffic.
The day before, computer forensics expert Dirk Labudde had already contradicted the musician’s story. A chain with a Star of David was not visible from the moment you entered the lobby until you left the hotel. Ofarim himself has so far remained silent in court.
The expert contradicts Ofarim: the chain with the Star of David was not visible
Update November 15, 9.23pm: In the trial of Jewish musician Gil Ofarim for defamation and false suspicion, an expert contradicted a prominent depiction of the artist. From the entrance to the exit of a Leipzig hotel no chain with the Star of David could be seen, forensic expert Dirk Labudde said at the Leipzig Regional Court on Wednesday.
According to the expert, the chain with the Star of David was only visible when Ofarim recorded the Instagram video in front of the hotel. For this purpose, the digital forensic expert evaluated the surveillance camera recordings in an in-depth process. Expert statements in the trial will continue on Thursday.
Now the judge in the Ofarim case is accused of bias
Update November 15, 1.32pm: Now Judge Stadler trembles in the Ofarim trial. A lawyer’s letter is considered a request for bias against the president. He himself explains that he will be politically active from 2022 focus.de reported. A decision on how to address the issue will be made outside the general assembly next week.
Stadler gave a lecture on the topic of extremism for the Judges’ Association. The title: “No enemies of the Constitution in public administration – how the constitutional state and democracy can arm themselves against extremists”.
Ofarim trial: surveillance video doctored? Now an expert speaks
Update November 15, 1.12pm: Is the video of the Ofarim trial real? Yes, says an expert according to the dpa news agency. The recordings were not fake; he personally secured them after the accident on police orders. “Manipulation is unthinkable.”
The 51-year-old also contradicts the defense’s allegation that witnesses were shown surveillance video from the hotel before the police investigation. The technician was unable to explain how and when this should have happened.
Ofarim trial: Surveillance video from hotel lobby visible to public for first time
Update November 15, 12.26pm: Further witness statements are expected in the trial of musician Gil Ofarim at the Leipzig Regional Court on Wednesday. The day before, a witness had not confirmed the story that Ofarim had been discriminated against by a hotel manager because of his Star of David. Still Daily mirror The report of digital forensics expert Dirk Labudde, who assessed the incident using surveillance cameras in the hotel lobby, will also be presented on Wednesday. But there are no sound recordings.
Surveillance video from the hotel lobby in the Ofarim trial is visible to the public for the first time
Update Nov. 15, 6:55 a.m.: Shortly before the end of the third day of Gil Ofarim’s trial, the singer’s defense requested that further evidence be presented. The data would be on a USB stick and, according to the judge, would be evaluated one of the next days, reported focus.de. Things will still be exciting on the fourth day of testing. Surveillance video from the hotel will be shown in court and will be available to the public for the first time. Additionally, additional witnesses should be interviewed.
Update November 14, 3.10pm: According to the witness, Gil Ofarim’s account that a hotel manager discriminated against him because of his Star of David did not correspond to his personal perception. The 58-year-old stood very close to the singer during check-in focus.de reported from the room
As a result there was a long queue at the hotel reception. The witness admits that he did not hear what the hotel manager and Ofarim discussed when checking into the hotel. But at the counter the singer “made phone calls and gesticulated”. Therefore he felt Ofarim as troubled. “He was angry and then became confrontational,” the witness says. He got the impression that the musician was upset “that he wasn’t pulled out of the queue and wasn’t given extra treatment.” But this is only the subjective perception of him, according to the witness focus.de underlined.
Another witness incriminates Ofarim on the third day of the trial – unaware of any discrimination
Update from November 14, 12:00: Another witness will speak on the third day of the trial of singer Gil Ofarim. Like focus.de According to further reports, he was a regular guest of the hotel. The witness received the room card separately from the hotel staff and said he could not contribute further clarification.
According to this, the man probably noticed the discontent 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 your star” had been used, which was relevant in the trial, he responded in the negative.
Original message from November 14, 2023: Leipzig – Did a hotel manager discriminate against Gil Ofarim because of his Star of David? Or is the Jewish musician lying? This is what the trial against 41-year-old Ofarim, which opened on Tuesday, November 7, at the Leipzig Regional Court, should make clear. A surprise now seems to have occurred on the third day of the trial. As focus.de reported that a new witness contacted the prosecutor’s office. This therefore puts a strain on the singer.
Ofarim trial: Surprise on the third day of the trial – a new witness comes forward and incriminates the singer
As the portal reports, the new witness contacted the Prosecutor’s Office by telephone. The trigger was the trial report. The Brandenburg witness then remembered that during the incident in question he was directly behind Gil Ofarim in the hotel lobby. As focus.de Furthermore, the witness states that he did not hear “any insults” from the hotel employee. According to prosecutor Ricken, at the moment it cannot be said whether the witness’s account is accurate.
The 41-year-old, born in Munich, is in the dock accused of, among other things, defamation and false suspicion. At the beginning of October 2021, the musician made serious accusations of anti-Semitism against the manager of a Leipzig hotel in an Instagram video. Ofarim was told to take off his Star of David and only then would he be allowed to check in, the singer accused. However, after thorough investigations by the prosecutor’s office, Ofarim was reported. The case against the hotel manager was dropped.
