Photo: Getty Images, Tim Mosenfelder. All rights reserved.
The protest doesn’t seem to have left him without a trace: Roger Waters apparently changed part of his show for the concert in Frankfurt. During his live performance he emphasized that he decided against appearing as a “demagogue” in a black leather coat, with a red armband and machine gun in hand because he knew the history of the venue.
The look, which is deliberately based on the image of a fascist agitator and had already caused horror at the show in Berlin, would have been completely inappropriate and disrespectful, especially in the Festhalle in Frankfurt. In 1938, 3,000 Jewish men were rounded up here, mistreated and then deported.
Emotions at the performance in Frankfurt
Roger Waters said loudly that he felt the suffering that befell the people in the hall in 1938 RND. He is aware that many people accuse him of being an anti-Semite, but “I’m not,” said the musician, who was then applauded. The musician is said to have burst into tears for a short time.
Roger Waters appears in a quasi-SS uniform and puts Anne Frank’s suffering into perspective. And fills a concert hall with it. 2023, in Berlin.
Sorry, that simply has nothing to do with factual criticism of the Israeli government. This is plain anti-Semitism – cheered by thousands. pic.twitter.com/ZkfaTpVkJr
— Marko Kovic (@marko_kovic) May 26, 2023
Roger Waters: Police investigations are ongoing
He may have also adapted the second part of his show because police investigations into suspected hate speech are currently underway in Berlin because of the demagogue look. Since the opposition from the city and the Jewish community in Frankfurt was particularly strong and there were even plans to ban Roger Waters’ concert completely, the artist could have spared himself additional trouble with his decision. According to the latest estimates, around 500 people peacefully protested against the concert in front of the hall.