German police announced on Friday that they have opened an investigation into Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters after he wore a Nazi-style uniform on stage at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin.
The 79-year-old was unavailable for comment, but social media users defended him by claiming the performance was a recreation of satirical sequences from the film of the band’s popular album “The Wall,” a critique of fascism.
Images from a concert on May 17 depicted the renowned singer and bassist wearing a long-back trench coat with brilliant red armbands and pointing a replica machine gun at the audience.
Roger Waters’ Nazi-themed concert outfit being investigated by German police.
Roger Waters’ Nazi-themed concert outfit being investigated by German police.The outfit featured an emblem resembling a swastika consisting of two crossed hammers; this symbol also appeared on costumes in the 1982 film starring rock star-turned-activist Bob Geldof.
In Germany, Nazi symbols, flags, and insignia are prohibited. Waters is being investigated for “incitement of the people” under a distinct statute, according to the police. The costume worn by Waters is capable of violating the dignity of the victims and approving, glorifying, or justifying the violent and arbitrary rule of the Nazi regime, according to a police spokesperson.
After Jewish groups, including the Central Council of Jews, accused Waters of anti-Semitism, other German cities, including Munich, Frankfurt, and Cologne, attempted to cancel his concerts. Waters is a member of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement, which targets Israel for its occupation of Palestinian-aspirant territories.
He denied the allegations, and the efforts to halt the concerts failed. On Waters’ website, the final German tour date at Frankfurt’s Festhalle on May 28 is still listed. According to fans and other social media users, Waters wore the same costume to previous concerts.
“He is depicting Pink from The Wall (1982), a character famously portrayed by Bob Geldof, who descends into a drug-induced fascist hallucination in a film that CONDEMNS fascism. On Twitter, podcast presenter Joseph Attard wrote, “Absurd.”