By Matthias Armborst, dpaI Saturday, May 27, 2023
BERLIN – British rock star Roger Waters has clapped back at accusations of incitement after he wore a Nazi-style costume at a concert in Berlin earlier in May
“The elements of my performance that have been questioned are quite clearly a statement in opposition to fascism, injustice, and bigotry in all its forms,” read a statement released on Saturday by a German lawyer representing the 79-year-old Pink Floyd co-founder.
“The depiction of a deranged fascist demagogue has been a feature of my shows since Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ in 1980,” Waters was quoted as saying. “Attempts to portray those elements as something else are disingenuous and politically motivated.”
On Friday, it was reported that the Berlin police had started investigations against Waters on suspicion of incitement of the people.
The latest in a series of scandals around him was sparked by his stage costume at concerts at Berlin’s Mercedes-Benz Arena on May 17 and 18. Waters wore a wore a long black overcoat with a red armband and also aimed an imitation machine-gun into the audience.
The police started the investigation after receiving incensed reports from members of the public about the outfit, which included emblazoned crossed hammers.
“This set of clothing looked very similar to an SS uniform,” a German police spokesman said, referring to the elite unit that was originally formed to protect Adolf Hitler and other Nazi Party leaders. However, the symbol was not a swastika, he added.
The initial suspicion exists because the clothing was likely to “offend the dignity of the victims of National Socialism, to glorify nationalism and to disturb the public peace with it,” the spokesman said.
“I have spent my entire life speaking out against authoritarianism and oppression wherever I see it,” Waters stressed in his response. “My parents fought the Nazis in World War II, with my father paying the ultimate price.”
Nonetheless, he has been repeatedly accused of anti-Semitism, and even floated an inflatable pig bearing the Star of David at past concerts.
Waters’ concert scheduled for May 28 in Frankfurt was initially to be cancelled because of accusations of anti-Semitism. However, he successfully appealed the decision, which the Frankfurt Administrative Court overturned, invoking artistic freedom in its ruling.
