Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters sparks outrage after dressing up as a Nazi SS officer in Berlin and comparing deceased Al Jazeera reporter to Holocaust victim Anne Frank
- Roger Waters, 79, donned a suit with cross-hammer imagery that the fictional neo-Nazi organization wore in the 1982 film Pink Floyd: The Wall
- It also displayed the names of deceased characters, including Anne Frank next to Abu Akleh, an Al Jazeera reporter who was shot and killed last year.
- Yet the rocker denied being anti-Semitic
Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters has sparked outrage again after dressing up as a Nazi SS officer during a performance in Berlin and comparing a deceased Al Jazeera journalist to Holocaust victim Anne Frank.
When he performed at the Mercedes-Benz Arena last week, Waters, 79, donned a costume reminiscent of those used by Nazi officers with a red armband and crossed hammers over a leather jacket collar – the same imagery as a fictional neo-Nazi organization carried in the 1982 film Pink Floyd: The Wall.
Third Reich-style banners hung above him at the concert, but with the swastikas replaced by crossed hammers, while an inflatable pig featured the logo of an Israeli arms company.
And a screen behind him displayed the names of deceased figures, including Anne Frank next to Abu Akleh, an Al Jazeera reporter who was shot and killed last year while covering an Israel Defense Forces raid. in a Palestinian refugee camp.
The country’s Orthodox Jewish rabbinical association is now calling for Waters to be banned from performing in Germany – but the rocker continues to deny he is anti-Semitic and only speaks out against Israeli policies.
Roger Waters, 79, dressed as a Nazi SS officer at his concert in Berlin last week
An inflatable pig featured the logo of an Israeli arms company and Jewish stars
He compared Anne Frank to Abu Akleh, an Al Jazeera reporter who was shot and killed last year while covering an Israel Defense Forces raid on a Palestinian refugee camp.
Throughout his performance, Waters attempted to draw comparisons between Nazi Germany and today’s Israel as he doubles down on his criticism of the country’s treatment of Palestinians.
He started the show with an on-screen announcement: “On a matter of public interest: a court in Frankfurt has ruled that I am not an anti-Semite.
“To be clear, I unreservedly condemn anti-Semitism.”
