Nazi provocations: ex-Pink Floyd Roger Waters accuses his detractors of "bad faith"

After the opening of an investigation by the German police targeting the ex-Pink Floyd Roger Waters after a concert where he had dressed in an outfit evoking a member of the SS and notably used the name of Anne Frank, a historic victim of the Holocaust, the co-founder of the rock band responded to his detractors by calling their accusations “bad faith”.

On his Instagram and Twitter accounts in a message published Friday evening May 26 Roger Waters wrote: “My recent concert in Berlin has generated bad faith attacks from those who want to silence me because they disagree with my political opinions. The aspects of my concert that have been questioned are clearly a message against fascism, injustice and bigotry in all its forms and any attempt to see otherwise is dishonest.

Before the defense of Roger Waters, the Berlin police announced on Friday May 26 the opening of an investigation, following complaints, "on suspicion of incitement to hatred because the clothes worn on stage are likely to glorify or justify the National Socialist regime and disturb public order,” according to a spokesman.

In the images posted on social networks, the singer appears wearing a long black coat marked with a symbol reminiscent of the swastika and red armbands during the concert. Several media also mentioned inscriptions, in red letters on a screen during the concert, of the names of Anne Frank and Shireen Abu Akleh, Palestinian-American star journalist of the Al Jazeera channel killed during an Israeli raid in May 2022 .

"Unfortunately, the legal proceedings against him have so far turned in his favor, although he propagates anti-Semitism and is suspected of incitement to hatred", reacted Saturday May 27 the government delegate German in the fight against anti-Semitism, Felix Klein, with the newspapers of the Funke group. “I appeal to the vigilance of the police and justice and I encourage other denunciations”, wanted to add Felix Klein. The Berlin concert drew strong criticism in Israel. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs thus criticized Waters on Wednesday for having "sullied the memory of Anne Frank and the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust". "Waters wants to compare Israel to the Nazis." He is “one of the biggest critics of the Jews of our time”, also reacted on Twitter the Israeli ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon. The ex-Pink Floyd, 79, has distinguished himself in recent years by taking political positions, in particular on the war in Ukraine. “It is not true that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was unprovoked”, he had notably launched on February 8 before the UN Security Council where he had been invited by Russia to express. He also defends actions to boycott Israeli products in the name of defending the Palestinian cause. Frankfurt authorities canceled a concert by the British singer on Sunday, but the decision was overturned by an administrative court in the name of freedom of expression. A demonstration against the arrival of Roger Waters in the city is planned at the call of the local Jewish community and the Green party in particular. "Concert organizers should think twice before offering a stage to conspiracy theorists," said the German government official.