Roger Water is reportedly under criminal investigation by the German police for “suspected incitement” after his concerts in Berlin on May 17 and 18.
as Stereogum Notably, Waters was criticized for wearing a uniform of leather jacket, gloves, armbands, and rifle that resembled that of a Nazi SS soldier. His stage design also featured an inflatable pig covered in Third Reich-esque imagery and a Star of David, a prop Waters has used since 2010. The Jerusalem Post, Waters began the show with a message on the screen announcing: “I condemn antisemitism unequivocally.”
“The context of the clothing worn is considered capable of approving, glorifying or justifying the violent and arbitrary rule of the Nazi regime in a way that violates the dignity of the victims and thus disrupts public peace,” the chief of police inspector Martin Halweg told the Jewish news. “After the conclusion of the investigation, the case will be forwarded to the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office for legal review.”
Waters’ uniform was meant to reference Bob Geldof’s character Pink the wall, the 1982 film based on Pink Floyd’s album of the same name; the symbol on the armband shows a pair of crossed hammers somewhat similar to a swastika. Additionally, the screen behind Waters shows the names of people he believes have not been killed by governments, including George Floyd; Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman who was allegedly beaten to death by Iran’s “morality police” for not wearing a hijab; and German anti-Nazi activist Sophie Scholl, who was beheaded by guillotine in 1943 after being convicted of high treason for distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich.
The screen continued to flash Anne Frank’s name before showing Shireen Abu Akleh, the Palestinian-American journalist believed to have been shot dead by Israeli soldiers during a shootout with Palestinian militants in May . The contrast sparked outrage from Israel’s Foreign Ministry, which tweeted: “Good morning to everyone except Roger Waters who spent the night in Berlin (Yes Berlin) desecrating the memory of Anne Frank and the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust.”
Update: Waters responded to the investigation of a statement posted on Friday. “My recent performance in Berlin attracted bad faith attacks from those who wanted to hurt me because they disagreed with my political views and moral principles,” he wrote. .
“The elements of my show in question are clearly a statement of opposition to fascism, injustice, and bigotry in all its forms. Attempts to portray those elements as something dishonest and motivated by politics.
Rogers has been increasingly outspoken about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in recent years, with CEBU Israel’s treatment of Palestinians as “apartheid” and “ethnic cleansing,” and liken Israel to Nazi Germany. Places called Frankfurt in Germany cancelled his performance in the city on May 28, calling him “one of the most famous antisemites in the world,” although the performance now scheduled to continue after Waters took legal action.
— Roger Waters ✊ (@rogerwaters) May 26, 2023
@michaeltrabucco Roger Waters Moment. #pinkfloyd #rogerwaters #funny
Good morning to everyone except Roger Waters who spent the night in Berlin (Yes Berlin) desecrating the memory of Anne Frank and the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust. pic.twitter.com/4tcrV6f8mt
— Israel Israel 🇮🇱 (@Israel) May 24, 2023