Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters sparks outrage after dressing up as a Nazi SS officer in Berlin
Dark Side of the Loon: Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters sparks outrage after dressing up as a Nazi SS officer in Berlin and comparing a dead Al Jazeera journalist to Holocaust victim Anne Frank
- Roger Waters, 79, wore a costume depicting the crossed hammer worn by the fictional neo-Nazi organization in the 1982 film Pink Floyd: The Wall
- He also showed the names of dead figures, including Anne Frank next to Abu Akleh, an Al Jazeera journalist who was shot dead last year
- Yet the rocker has denied being anti-Semitic
Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters has sparked outrage again after dressing up as a Nazi SS officer during a performance in Berlin and comparing a deceased Al Jazeera journalist to Holocaust victim Anne Frank.
Performing at the Mercedes-Benz Arena last week, 79-year-old Waters donned a costume reminiscent of Nazi officers with a red armband and crossed hammers on the collar of a leather jacket β the same imagery used by a fictional character. neo-Nazi organization wore in the 1982 film Pink Floyd: The Wall.
Banners hung above him during the concert in the style of the Third Reich, but with the swastikas swapped for the crossed hammers, while an inflatable pig was decorated with the logo of an Israeli arms company.
And on a screen behind him were the names of dead figures, including Anne Frank next to Abu Akleh, an Al Jazeera journalist who was fatally shot last year while covering an Israeli army raid on a Palestinian refugee camp.
The country’s Orthodox Jewish Rabbinical Association is now calling for a ban on Waters’ performances in Germany, but the rocker continues to deny being anti-Semitic and only speaks out against Israeli politics.
Roger Waters, 79, dressed as a Nazi SS officer when he performed in Berlin last week
An inflatable pig was decorated with the logo of an Israeli arms company and Jewish stars
He compared Anne Frank to Abu Akleh, an Al Jazeera journalist who was fatally shot last year while covering an Israeli army raid on a Palestinian refugee camp.
During his performance, Waters attempted to draw comparisons between Nazi Germany and modern-day Israel while doubling down on his criticism of the country’s treatment of Palestinians.
He began the performance with an on-screen statement: βOn a matter of public interest: A court in Frankfurt has ruled that I am not an anti-Semite.
“To be clear, I unreservedly condemn anti-Semitism.”
The comments came after Waters successfully appealed a court order to ban a concert in the German city, which had called him “one of the most widespread anti-Semites in the world.”
His concert in Frankfurt is now scheduled for Sunday.
But Waters then told fans in another on-screen message that if they disagree with his opinion, they can “go to the bar now,” according to Bell Tower News reporter Nicholas Potter, who witnessed the spectacle last week.