(Berlin) German police said on Friday they had opened an investigation into alleged provocations at a recent concert by ex-Pink Floyd Roger Waters, notably wearing an outfit evoking an SS officer.
“We are investigating suspicions of incitement to hatred because clothing worn on stage is likely to glorify or justify the National Socialist regime and disturb the public peace,” said police spokesman Martin Halweg. .
Images posted on social media notably show Waters wearing a long black coat and red armbands during a concert which took place on May 17 on the stage of the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin.
Several German and Israeli media also evoke inscriptions in red letters on a screen during the concert of the names of Anne Frank and Shireen Abu Akleh, Palestinian-American star journalist of the Al Jazeera channel killed during an Israeli raid in May 2022 .
“We are investigating and once the procedure is completed, we will forward it to the public prosecutor for a final legal assessment,” said the police spokesperson, stressing that it would be up to the prosecution to initiate any prosecution.
The concert drew heavy criticism in Israel.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday blamed Waters for “sullying the memory of Anne Frank and the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust.”
“Waters wants to compare Israel to the Nazis.” He is “one of the greatest critics of the Jews of our time,” Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon tweeted.
Waters, 79, has distinguished himself in recent years by taking a stand, particularly on the war in Ukraine.
“It is not true that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was unprovoked”, had notably launched the ex-Pink Floyd on February 8 before the UN Security Council, where he had been invited by Russia to speak out.
He also defends actions to boycott Israeli products in the name of defending the Palestinian cause.
Frankfurt authorities canceled a concert by the British singer on May 28, but the decision was overturned by an administrative court in the name of freedom of expression.
A protest demonstration against a new Roger Waters concert in Germany, Sunday in Frankfurt, is also planned at the call of the local Jewish community and the Greens party in particular.
