Roger Waters
The Berlin police are investigating the musician
British musician Roger Waters is being investigated after his performances in Berlin. On May 28th he will give another concert in Germany. The city of Frankfurt tried in vain to prevent the performance.
© Denis Makarenko/Shutterstock.com
Roger Waters appeared in Berlin in a uniform reminiscent of the SS. The concert could now have legal consequences.
The Berlin police initiated proceedings after the performance of British rock musician Roger Waters (79) in the capital. “We are investigating on suspicion of incitement to hatred,” confirmed a police spokesman on Friday the “mirror”. The co-founder of Pink Floyd played two concerts in the Mercedes-Benz Arena last week. He wore a black uniform with a red band, resembling that of an SS officer. He also held a machine gun during the song “In the Flesh” and faked a shot. Recordings of it caused horror beyond the borders of Germany.
Glorification of the Nazi regime?
Waters’ clothing is suitable “to glorify the rule of the National Socialist regime,” the “Spiegel” quotes the police spokesman as saying. This could also disturb the public peace. The process will be handed over to the public prosecutor’s office after the investigation has been completed. This decides whether a crime has been committed. “All incriminating and exculpatory evidence would be collected” for the preliminary investigation and incorporated into the proceedings. The organization “Stop Antisemitism” welcomed on their Twitter page the investigation as “great news”.
The city of Frankfurt wanted to cancel the concert on May 28th
The musician has attracted attention several times in recent years for his criticism of Israel and anti-Semitic statements. His tour “This Is Not A Drill” caused unrest in Germany beforehand. The city of Frankfurt am Main wanted to cancel his concert on May 28 because of the allegations against the musician. However, the administrative court there granted Waters’ urgent application, so that the performance will take place on Sunday. The concert in Munich on May 21 was accompanied by protests. Charlotte Knobloch (90), President of the Jewish community in Munich and Upper Bavaria, criticized: “The hate speech against Jews obviously has a place in this country. Today, this place is the Olympic Hall.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry accused Rogers Waters of “smearing the memory of Anne Frank and the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust” in the German capital of all places. During the concert, the name of the girl murdered by the National Socialists could be read on a video screen together with that of the Palestinian journalist Schirin Abu Akle. She died in an Israeli military operation in 2022. Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon (52) commented on Twitter: “Waters wants to compare Israel to the Nazis.” Many international media also reported on Roger Waters’ performances in Berlin.