German police investigate Pink Floyd star Roger Waters after he wore satirical Nazi costume during concert – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

(CNN) – Police in Germany have launched a criminal investigation into Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters after he appeared in a costume resembling a Nazi uniform at two concerts in Berlin last week.

Waters wore the costume when he appeared on Pink Floyd’s 1979 concept album The Wall, in which the album’s protagonist hallucinates that he is a fascist dictator. The satirical routine has been part of Waters’ solo performances for at least 30 years, including a famous live performance of the album in Berlin in 1990. This week appears to mark the first time the German government has launched a criminal investigation into his performance , However.

Berlin police spokeswoman Jennifer Bähle confirmed to CNN on Friday that Waters is under investigation on suspicion of instigating two concerts in the city last week, on May 17 and 18. “We have received information from the public, including pictures and videos that match the outward appearance.” “Suitable to commit the offense of sedition,” she said.

“The state security service at the Berlin State Criminal Police Office has initiated criminal investigations on suspicion of incitement to hatred (Article 140(4) of the Criminal Code),” the Berlin police said in a statement to CNN.

“The context of the clothing worn is considered appropriate to condone, glorify or justify the violent and despotic rule of the Nazi regime in a way that violates the dignity of the victims and thereby disturbs public peace,” it continues the explanation.

“After the investigation is complete, the case will be forwarded to the Berlin public prosecutor’s office for legal assessment,” the police statement ended.

In a statement published on Facebook on May 20, Waters criticized the German Bundestag’s 2019 vote to classify the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement as anti-Semitic. Waters was a frequent supporter of the BDS movement and a vocal critic of the Israeli state’s treatment of the Palestinian people.

A video of Waters’ performance at the Mercedes-Benz Arena last week, posted and shared on social media, shows the musician in a costume with a red armband adorned with two crossed hammers – an image from Pink Floyd’s album “The Wall,” which has been taken over by racist skinhead groups, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The video shows Waters pretending to machine gun the crowd. According to the Berlin police, this depiction may represent a glorification of the rule of the National Socialists.

The performances in Germany were the subject of much controversy prior to Waters’ arrival. He has consistently denied being anti-Semitic. In his May 20 statement, the singer said he visited the graves of anti-Nazi activists Sophie and Hans Scholl during a tour in Munich last week.

Waters is scheduled to perform in Frankfurt on Sunday.

The city authorities in Frankfurt asked the venue to cancel its concert there, but according to a report in The Guardian, a German court ruled in April that while his performance “uses symbolism evidently based on that of the Nazi regime”, the The musician’s work, however, “did not glorify or relativize Nazi crimes or identify with Nazi racist ideology.”

Frankfurt’s Jewish community has protested against his forthcoming performance. “On this day the concert of the musician Roger Waters, known for his anti-Semitic stage shows and statements, takes place. “We don’t want to stand idly by when a well-known anti-Semite and conspiracy theorist is given a stage in Frankfurt,” the Jewish community said in a statement on Instagram.

According to Waters’ show schedule, he is also expected to perform in a series of concerts across the UK next week, including in Birmingham, Glasgow, London and Manchester.

In an interview with podcaster Katie Halper posted online May 6, Waters said, “I can be allowed to do a show because it’s the darling of the theater.” The notion that nobody ever put themselves in one Dressing up in a damn Nazi uniform to do anything, be it in theater or film, is obviously ridiculous.”

His comments came shortly after he won a legal battle to overturn the Frankfurt City Council’s ban on his upcoming concert.

“You don’t dress up like him, either in a pro-Himmler or pro-Nazi manner,” Halper said. “It’s a scathing criticism, you play a villain character.”

“It’s a parody,” Waters replied.

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