German-Israeli singer admits he lied when accusing hotel of antisemitism in a video that went viral

Published November 28, 2023 6:41 AM

By KIRSTEN GRIESHABER
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — A German-Israeli singer who claimed he had been turned away from a hotel in the eastern German city of Leipzig because he was wearing a Star of David pendant has admitted during a defamation trial against him that he made up the story. The proceedings against Gil Ofarim for defamation and false accusation at a district court in Leipzig were subsequently dropped following his surprising confession on Tuesday. German news agency dpa reported that the 41-year-old Ofarim must pay a fine of 10,000 euros ($10,950) and that he apologized to the hotel manager who was a co-plaintiff in the case. The singer had accused the Leipzig hotel of antisemitism in a video that went viral on social media.

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