According to a police spokesman, this costume resembled the uniform worn by officers of the Nazi SS organization.
Such clothing can also serve to “glorify the National Socialist regime,” a police spokesman said. He added that after the conclusion of the investigation, the case will be taken over by the public prosecutor’s office, which will decide whether the singer has committed a crime. Waters also demonstrated shooting a mock-up machine gun between songs at the concert.
Waters wears a long black coat and a red armband during the song In The Flesh from the album The Wall. British television SkyNews reports that the singer’s fans are defending him, saying that at concerts he is based on a scene from the movie The Wall, which was based on the famous record. The film features a character who imagines himself to be a fascist dictator.
On the red ribbon is not a swastika, but crossed hammers. He also performed in this costume on Wednesday during a concert in Prague.
Sky News reminds that Germany has strict laws regarding the use of Nazi symbols, punishable by up to three years in prison. However, exceptions apply to their use for artistic or educational reasons.
The court overturned the ban on Roger Waters’ concert in Frankfurt
Foreign
Seventy-nine-year-old Waters has already attracted criticism several times in the past due to his anti-Semitic statements and gestures. The city hall of Frankfurt am Main wanted to cancel the concert of this musician scheduled for Sunday, but the local administrative court did not allow it. The management of Munich also made it clear that they did not want Waters to perform in the Bavarian capital, but that they did not have the legal tools to prevent him from doing so.
Photo: Jan Handrejch, Law
Roger Waters performed in a similar coat 10 years ago in Prague’s O2 arena
In the past, Waters has released a pig-shaped balloon with a Star of David on it during concerts. Israel often protests against the singer’s public appearances.
The leftist-oriented artist, especially in songs from his solo period, sharply defines himself against wars, armaments and the brutality of state forces. In connection with the war in Ukraine, he had previously called on the countries involved to “try to negotiate peace and not to escalate the situation”. Last year, he wrote an open letter to the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing “extreme nationalists” in Ukraine of leading the country “on the path to this devastating war.” He also criticized the West for supplying weapons to Ukraine and NATO for what he said was provoking Russia.
Photo: Jan Handrejch, Law
The stage during a Waters concert at the O2 Arena in 2018
REVIEW: Roger Waters remembered Pink Floyd and hardened into activism
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