Critics accuse Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters of anti-Semitism, so several cities want to ban his performances. But the legal situation is complex.
A dispute over comments by Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters could end his German tour in May. Protests against the concerts occur in Hamburg, Cologne, Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich. The singer is accused of anti-Semitism and supporting the Russian war of aggression.
He is an exposed supporter of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement, which calls for a boycott of the state of Israel and its goods because of Palestinian policies, said Bavarian anti-Semitism commissioner Ludwig Spaenle. He was also seen at concerts raising balloons in the shape of pigs with a Star of David.
In addition, Waters reportedly justified the war in Ukraine by saying that Putin wanted to fight fascism in the country. He is said to have called the United States the main aggressor. Both of these are consistent with Putin’s propaganda. “That Roger Waters’ hatred should not be given a stage in Munich is for me a question of democratic self-respect,” Charlotte Knobloch, president of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, wrote on Twitter.
Waters had his lawyers announce that the planned measures were unconstitutional and unjustified. They were also based on a false accusation that the artist was anti-Semitic, which he was not. Moreover, he said, he has instructed his lawyers to overturn this “unjustified” decision and ensure “that his fundamental human right to freedom of expression is protected.” Waters believes this blatant attempt to silence him could have severe and far-reaching consequences for artists and activists worldwide if it is not challenged, the lawyers said.
Munich economic committee wants to ban the concert
n Munich, the Economic Committee was supposed to decide on Tuesday on how to proceed. The economic department’s proposed decision states that Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) should instruct the management of Olympiapark München GmbH to cancel the planned concert on May 21 in the Olympic Hall. But the decision was postponed until the plenary meeting on March 22, said a department spokesman.
Based on a ruling by the Federal Administrative Court, it isn’t easy to exempt even highly polarizing opinions from freedom of expression, a law firm wrote in November about the case. He said that preventing artists like Waters from using public facilities is most likely possible if there are concrete indications that criminal acts such as incitement of the people or insult are to be expected.
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