Last night, over 600 people gathered to protest outside a hotel in Leipzig where an employee reportedly told a Jewish singer to hide his Star of David necklace.
In an Instagram video, musician Gil Ofarim looked shaken as he spoke of how other guests were being prioritised over him during the long line in the hotel. When he asked as to why, an employee of the Westin Leipzig hotel reportedly said that it was to “straighten the line” before allegedly adding that Mr Ofarim needed to “pack the star” if he wanted to register as a guest.
A spokesperson for the hotel said that they were very concerned about the report and that they were taking the matter very seriously.
After news of the alleged incident spread online, a protest was quickly planned. During this time, it was reported that a Westin hotel manager said that two employees had been put on leave. It was also reported that whilst some people appeared happy at this result, others demanded the termination of the employees’ contacts. The Westin Leipzig also uploaded a photo to their Instagram of what appears to be hotel staff members holding a banner featuring Israeli flags and Islamic crescent moons outside of the hotel.
Last night’s spontaneous protest lasted approximately an hour and fifteen minutes, and it was reported that at least 600 people turned up to demonstrate and listen to speeches.
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