German city cancels Roger Waters performance due to his antisemitism
Frankfurt calls former Pink Floyd frontman one of world’s ‘best-known antisemites,’ nixes scheduled performance at venue that imprisoned Jews after Kristallnacht
The German city of Frankfurt has canceled a show by former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters due to his antisemitism.
Frankfurt’s municipal government announced the show’s cancellation in a Friday statement.
The city called Waters one of the world’s “most widely-known antisemites,” citing his support for the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, antisemitic imagery at his shows, and talks with the Hamas terror group’s media.
Waters had been scheduled to perform in Festhalle, a publicly owned venue, on May 28.
Frankfurt’s statement noted that the arena had confined 3,000 Jews after the Kristallnacht pogrom in 1938 before they were shipped to concentration camps.
The Central Council of Jews in Germany and the Frankfurt Jewish Community hailed the decision.
Frankfurt setzt ein Zeichen gegen Antisemitismus.https://t.co/SJW3Mv5TOm
— Frankfurt am Main (@Stadt_FFM) February 24, 2023
Waters has long been a harsh critic of Israel and has peddled antisemitic tropes, including conspiracy theories claiming Jews pull the strings of power in the US and UK.
The Anti-Defamation League branded Waters an antisemite in 2013, saying anti-Jewish conspiracy theories have “seeped into the totality” of his views.
Pink Floyd star David Gilmour and his wife Polly Samson publicly accused Waters of antisemitism earlier this month. Waters has long feuded with the rest of the band.
Waters has also spoken in favor of Russia since its invasion of Ukraine and suggested Kyiv was to blame for the war.
The Polish city of Krakow canceled gigs by Waters last year due to his sympathetic stance toward Russia.
