Roger Waters
Photo: Getty Images, Vittorio Zunino Celotto. All rights reserved.
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Ex-Pink Floyd member Roger Waters is facing another hurdle with his “This is not a drill” tour: After Munich and Frankfurt, Berlin wants to prevent the planned performances on May 17th and 18th in the Mercedes-Benz Arena , at least one politician from the district of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg would like that. District Mayor Clara Hermann (Die Grünen) justified this with the sentence: “Anti-Semitism must not be given a stage”.
But the Mercedes-Benz Arena, which is in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, is not in public hands, according to “rbb”. as reported by “t-online”, which Hermann gave her statement. According to the current plan, the concerts would take place. According to the state of Berlin, a meeting on May 17 and 18 in front of the arena was registered as a counter-reaction and protest. Waters has announced that it will take legal action against performance bans.
Roger Waters: ‘Anti-Semitism is Abominable’
Waters is specifically accused of being a supporter of the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) campaign. The international movement is calling for a boycott of the State of Israel and its assets because the country oppresses the Palestinians. At concerts, Waters also released pig-shaped balloons with a Star of David. The 79-year-old recently caused another scandal when he claimed that US President Joe Biden was responsible for the Ukraine war. From Moscow, on the other hand, there was applause for the musician.
However, Rogers defends himself against any allegations of anti-Semitism, saying: “My well-known views relate solely to the policies and actions of the Israeli government and not to the people of Israel. Anti-Semitism is abhorrent and racist, and I condemn it as unreservedly as all forms of racism.”
Waters wants to work with lawyers against concert cancellations
Waters now wants to take legal action against the planned concert cancellation in Frankfurt am Main and the possible cancellation of his Munich show. The final concert of his “This Is Not a Drill” tour was originally supposed to take place in the Hessian metropolis on May 28th. The Bavarian state capital is now also discussing a possible ban on the performance on May 21st.
His management believes “that if left unchallenged, this blatant attempt to silence him could have serious and far-reaching consequences for artists and activists around the world.” The cancellations were based “on the false accusation that Roger Waters is anti-Semitic, which he is not,” the statement said.
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