FRANKFURT, 28 May. (DPA/EP) –
Some 400 people demonstrated today against the performance of the British musician Roger Waters in front of the Festhalle Pavilion in Frankfurt, before the concert of the co-founder of the Pink Floyd band began.
Waters has been the subject of controversy in recent days for appearing dressed in an outfit similar to that of Nazi officers in Berlin. In response, the musician has repudiated the criticism.
“The elements of my performance that have been called into question are clearly a statement in opposition to fascism, injustice and bigotry in all its forms,” Waters said on Facebook.
“Attempts to portray those elements as something else are disingenuous and politically motivated. The portrayal of a deranged fascist demagogue has been a feature of my shows since Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ in 1980,” he added.
Michaela Fuhrmann, head of political relations for the Jewish community in Frankfurt, explained that the purpose of the protest was to demonstrate against anti-Semitism, against hatred of Israel and against conspiracy theories.
The participants displayed banners with inscriptions such as “Israel, we are by your side” and “Roger Waters, wish you were not here” (Roger Waters, I wish you were not here), referring to one of Pink Floyd’s most famous songs ( “Wish you were here”).
In Frankfurt’s Festhalle, the venue for the concert, more than 3,000 Jewish men were rounded up, detained, mistreated and ultimately deported on the night of the 1938 pogrom. Today, schoolchildren read aloud the names of the victims.
Waters has been repeatedly accused of anti-Semitism, and his actions are widely criticized in Germany. Originally, the Frankfurt concert was to be canceled due to accusations of anti-Semitism.
But Waters filed a lawsuit in this regard and the Frankfurt Administrative Court agreed with him at the end of April. In its decision, the court took artistic freedom into account.
