Xavier Naidoo accused of urging public to rise up.
Throughout the pandemic, Xavier Naidoo has openly displayed antisemitic sentiment and even gone so far as to deny the Holocaust on social media. For this reason, the Mannheim Prosecutor's Office has filed charges against him. The renowned singer, however, persists in his claim of innocence.
The Mannheim Prosecutor's Office has instituted a lawsuit against Xavier Naidoo for promoting hatred. He stands accused of sharing Holocaust-denying and antisemitic content on Telegram three years ago, including a video and an image file containing text.
Previously, in July of the previous year, the Mannheim District Court received charges against the former member of Söhne Mannheims that placed Naidoo on trial for incitement to hatred in four instances and one instance in conjunction with defamation. These charges resulted from him posting similar antisemitic and Holocaust-denying content through images, an audio message, and linked texts on Telegram. The investigation into Naidoo was ignited by several formal complaints lodged against him.
Criticism of the apology video
In 2022, Naidoo released a video apologizing for his actions following the Russian attack on Ukraine. In this video, Naidoo admitted he had fallen prey to conspiracy theories for many years and stated, "I have done things that I now regret." Despite his remorse, he did not specify what actions he regretted. Prior to this, he had fostered controversy through his Telegram channel, as well as his appearances with Reichsbürger supporters and the propagation of conspiracy theories involving the QAnon movement, in addition to making controversial statements about COVID-19.
Recently, a surprising appearance by Xavier Naidoo at a show by Oliver Pocher prompted discussions. In April, Pocher invited Naidoo on stage in Saarbrücken, with the video garnering a more positive response from Pocher than from the majority of German viewers. Pocher expressed his approval by stating, "It was sincere, but these days, even when people apologize, it's like, 'He apologized, but who cares.'"
Naidoo refutes the current accusations, and the Prosecutor's Office reminds us that the presumption of innocence remains in effect.
