Roger Waters, former member of Pink Floyd, under police investigation for Nazi-style costumes

Waters wore a coat with a red band around his arm with two black crossed hammers on a white circle, a similar outfit he wore to shows a few years ago

8408 views 5 comment(s)
Photo: TikTok
Photo: TikTok
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters is being questioned by police after a recent concert in Germany where he appeared in a costume resembling a Nazi SS uniform.

At a performance at Berlin's Mercedes-Benz Arena on May 17, Waters was seen wearing a long black coat with a red ribbon.

He also pointed an imitation machine gun at the audience.

In Germany, it is forbidden to display Nazi symbols, flags and uniforms.

However, German laws allow exceptions for artistic or educational reasons.

"We are conducting an investigation on suspicion of inciting public hatred because the clothes worn on stage could be used to glorify or justify the Nazi regime, which would disturb public peace," said police spokesman Martin Halweg.

"The costume resembles the clothes of an SS officer," he added.

Waters wore a coat with a red band around his arm with two black crossed hammers on a white circle, a similar outfit he wore to shows a few years ago.

The symbols are similar to those on the costumes in the movie The Wall (The Wall) from 1982, based on the album of the same name by Pink Floyd, and in which the legendary musician Bob Geldof appears.

In one scene, Geldof plays a rock star who hallucinates that he is leading a fascist rally.

The police said that after the charges are considered, the case will be forwarded to the public prosecutor for further decision.

During the Berlin performance, the names of several deceased people appeared on the big screen.

Among those names was Anne Frank, a Jewish teenager who died in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II.

Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized Waters.

"Good morning to everyone except Roger Waters who spent the evening in Berlin (Yes Berlin) desecrating the memory of Anne Frank and the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust," the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Twitter account reads.

At concerts, Waters also highlighted an inflatable pig marked with the Star of David.

In recent weeks, the musician has held concerts in German cities as part of a tour This Is Not A Drill (This is not an exercise).

However, the performances were considered controversial.

Munich and Cologne tried to cancel the concerts after Jewish organizations such as the Central Council of Jews accused him of anti-Semitism.

Waters denies the allegations and in a Facebook post this week thanked those who attended his concerts in Germany.

He also paid tribute to the White Rose movement, a resistance group during the Nazi period.

"The fact that some representatives of the authorities in Germany, and some at the behest of the Israel lobby, have attacked me, falsely accused me of being anti-Semitic, and tried to cancel my concerts, saddens me," Waters wrote.

"Walking around Munich yesterday afternoon, I couldn't shake the feeling that Big Brother was watching me. It leaves a bitter taste."

Waters is scheduled to perform his last concert in Germany on Sunday night in Frankfurt.

Demonstrations are planned outside the venue, however, after the city's legal bid to cancel the concert failed.

A British MP has called for Waters' performance in Manchester in June to be cancelled.

Waters has made some controversial comments in the past.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year, he wrote an open letter to Olena Zelenska, the wife of the Ukrainian president.

In it, as he stated, "extreme nationalists" in Ukraine "directed your country on the path of this catastrophic war".

In February, during a speech at the United Nations, he repeated the claim that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was "provoked".


Follow us on Facebook,Twitter i Viber. If you have a topic proposal for us, contact us at bbcnasrpskom@bbc.co.uk

Bonus video: