Roger Waters blasted for performing in SS uniform in Berlin, 'desecrating the memory of Anne Frank' and Holocaust victims
Roger Waters, the former vocalist and bassist for the famous band Pink Floyd, put on yet another performance with strong anti-Semitic undertones, when he dressed up as an SS officer during his recent concert at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin last week.
The performance featured a crucifix-shaped screen that displayed a wide variety of slogans attacking the “powers that be,” in addition to humanoid pigs and shady-looking businessmen “pulling the strings”. It also displayed an announcement which read that a court in Frankfurt, Germany had ruled that Waters is not an anti-Semite, along with the words: "Just to be clear, I condemn antisemitism unreservedly.”
On screen were a variety of names related to the Holocaust, such as Anne Frank, proceeded by a list of names, such as Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was accidentally killed during a shootout between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian terrorists in Jenin, implying that the two figures should be likened to one another
For years, Waters has been including strong anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli motifs in his concerts making the popular bassist a controversial figure.
Last week’s show was strongly criticized by Jewish activists and officials.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center condemned Berlin for giving Waters a platform to spew his anti-Semitism and blasted Frankfurt authorities for not banning a performance in the city.
"Shame on Frankfurt authorities and Mercedes Benz arena in Berlin – a place from where Jews were deported by the Nazis – for providing antisemite #RogerWaters this venue for his concert with no concern/care for the Jewish community," the center tweeted.
Anti-Semitism Commissioner for the State of Hesse, Uwe Becker, had asked local officials to at least prevent "the worst antisemitic propaganda motifs,” if they would not ban the Frankfurt concert entirely.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry tweeted, “Good morning to everyone but Roger Waters who spent the evening in Berlin (Yes Berlin) desecrating the memory of Anne Frank and the 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust."
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
