Roger Waters performs to kick off his ‘This Is Not a Drill’ tour of Germany at Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany, Sunday, May 7, 2023. , Photo Credit: AP
Police in Berlin said on Friday that they had launched an investigation into Roger Waters Pink Floyd’s co-founder suspected of provocation over the dress he wore during a performance in the German capital last week.
Images on social media showed Waters firing a simulated machine gun while wearing a long black coat with red armbands. Police confirmed that an investigation had been launched on the suspicion that the context of the dress might glorify, justify or approve of the Nazi regime and therefore disturb the public peace.
Once the police investigation is over, the case will be handed over to Berlin’s prosecutors, who will decide whether to press charges.
Waters rejected the allegations in a statement on Facebook and Instagram early Saturday, saying that “the elements of my performance in question are clearly a protest against all forms of fascism, injustice and bigotry.” statements.” He claimed that “the attempt to portray those elements as something else is fraudulent and politically motivated.”
Waters has drawn anger for her support of the BDS movement, which calls for boycotts and sanctions against Israel. He has rejected the allegations of antisemitism.
Authorities in Frankfurt tried to prevent a concert there scheduled for 28 May, but Waters successfully challenged the move in the local court. In Munich, the city council said it had explored the possibility of banning a concert but concluded that it was not legally possible to cancel the contract with the organiser. His presence there on Sunday drew protests from the leader of the local Jewish community.
Last year, the Polish city of Krakow canceled Waters’ shows because of her sympathetic stance toward Russia in its war against Ukraine.