“It has been a feature on my show since 1980”: Roger Waters Defends Wearing Nazi Costume in Germany During Live-Concert, Calls it Artistic Freedom
Pink Floyd was formed in 1965 in London. They stood out in the crowd for their elaborate live shows, out-of-the-box compositions, logical lyrics, and experimentation with sound. The rock band comprised a total of 6 members- Roger Waters – the Bassist, David Gilmour – the guitarist, Syd Bar – the guitarist, Richard Wright – the keyboard instructor, Nick Mason – the acoustic drummer and Bob Klose.
The albums The Dark Side Of The Moon and The Wall were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Recently, Roger Waters from the rock band Pink Floyd was under the scanner for his outrageous attire during his concert in Germany. The singer had symbols related to Nazis on his clothing which led to a criminal investigation by the German police.
Roger Waters Clapped Back At Critics For His Nazi-Themed Get Up During His Berlin Concert
Musician Roger Waters of the English rock band Pink Floyd made headlines recently. The singer landed himself in trouble by sporting Nazi-inspired attire during his concert in Berlin, Germany. Roger Waters was wearing a long black coat with a red armband with initials that featured crossed hammers instead of swastikas. In between the live concert, the British bassist even went on to perform a skit in which he pretended to shoot with a machine gun.
The critics took to social media and criticized the 79-year-old singer for his irresponsible act during his live concert. Sporting the symbols of Nazis clearly showed disrespect to the victims of the Holocaust. Prior to starting the concert The Great Gig In The Sky singer took to the stage and said-
“The show will start in 10 minutes and a court in Frankfurt has ruled that I am not an anti-Semite… just to be clear, I condemn antisemitism unreservedly.”
The Wish You Were Here singer took to social media and responded back to the tweets that showed him in a very negative light. He made a lengthy post defending his Gestapo-like appearance during his performance on May 17 and 18. According to Roger Waters, the critics tried to show him in a negative light in the media just because they did not agree with his political views and opinions.
The singer mentioned in the post how he was simply trying to convey the opposite message in the fight against “fascism, injustice, and bigotry in all its forms.” Roger Waters claimed that the display of the Nazi symbols was not something new as Nazi-infused imagery has been a part of his music ever since the release of the 1979 track, Pink Floyd’s The Wall.
— Roger Waters ✊ (@rogerwaters) May 26, 2023
Singer Roger Waters even clarified that his parents had battled the Nazis in world war 2. He even lost his father in the battle. In Germany, it is strictly against the law to sport Nazi symbolism like a crossed hammer, Swastik, Wolfsangel and etc.
Roger Waters Is Under The Scanner For his Nazi Influenced Attire
The bassist of the legendary rock band Pink Floyd, Roger Waters landed himself in hot waters for donning an attire that downplayed the Holocaust victim and glorified the Nazis during his concert in Belgium in Germany. From his skit and bodily gestures during the concert, it was quite evident that the singer in his late 70s considered himself a fictional dictator.
The police in Germany have already launched a criminal investigation against Roger Waters after he wore Nazi-style clothes for his concert. Berlin police spokesperson Martin Halweg told The Guardian-
“An investigation has been opened over the costume displayed at the concerts on 17 and 18 May.”
The police spokesperson added-
“The context of the clothing worn is deemed capable of approving, glorifying or justifying the violent and arbitrary rule of the Nazi regime in a manner that violates the dignity of the victims and thereby disrupts the public peace.”
Flaunting symbols and insignias that are related to the Nazis is considered a crime in Germany except for educational and artistic objectives.
Source: The Guardian
