Mannheim Regional Court Opens Proceedings Against Xavier Naidoo Over Alleged Incitement

A criminal case against singer Xavier Naidoo will go forward in Mannheim over allegations that he spread antisemitic and Holocaust-denying material online.

The Mannheim Regional Court admitted the indictment filed by prosecutors in July 2023. It accuses the 54-year-old of incitement to hatred in four cases, including one combined with an insult. The indictment concerns material allegedly posted through a Telegram channel between December 2020 and April 2021.

Prosecutors say the material included written posts, an audio message recorded by Naidoo, and links to another audio recording and a video. They also allege that he insulted a person associated with the Amadeu Antonio Foundation and published antisemitic texts in that context. The investigation followed several criminal complaints, including one filed by the person who allegedly suffered the insult.

The court did not admit the remaining charges in a second case, also involving alleged incitement to hatred, because it found insufficient suspicion. Prosecutors have appealed, and the Karlsruhe Higher Regional Court is reviewing that challenge. No trial date has been set.

Naidoo released an apology video in 2022 and acknowledged that he had become trapped in conspiracy narratives for years. “I said and did things that I regret today,” he said at the time. His lawyers have since rejected the allegations and said he opposes antisemitic and racist beliefs.

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I said and did things that I regret today.