Protestor Storms Stage with Israeli Flag at Roger Waters Concert

The post Protestor Storms Stage with Israeli Flag at Roger Waters Concert appeared first on Consequence.

A protestor stormed the stage with the Israeli flag at Roger Waters’ concert in Frankfurt, Germany on Sunday in response to his ongoing tour that some have deemed anti-semitic.

Waters has long faced pushback for his criticism of Israel’s occupation of Palestine, but he came under heightened fire recently after wearing a uniform that resembled that of a Nazi soldier. The costume was part of a segment meant to reference Bob Geldof’s character Pink in The Wall, while the screen behind Waters displayed the names of people the artist believes were killed by state-sanctioned violence. Waters has maintained that the costume was meant to condemn fascism, but German police didn’t view it that way; he is reportedly under investigation for “suspected incitement” following the incident.

Waters discussed his decision to don Nazi attire, as well as the protestor who rushed the stage, at the Frankfurt concert. Despite insisting that the stage show was not meant to glamorize Nazism — he recalled growing up in the aftermath of World War II — he stated that he would not wear the costume at the Frankfurt show.

“I know all about the 8th, 9th, 10th of December, 1938,” Waters said. “I’ve known about it all my life. It’s part of something that I’ve always been aware of. I am that age — we know about these things. So I feel for the people who are concerned about desecrating this place.”

Waters continued, “So that’s why I’m making this small — but, I hope, significant — gesture tonight. So when the second half starts, and the banners don’t come down, and I’m not wearing the leather coat, that is why. It’s to show that I can’t possibly understand the feelings of the relatives of those men, or what it was like in 1938 — Frankfurt, and all over the rest of Germany.” Watch the protestor storm the stage at Waters’ show, and Waters’ remarks, below.

The artist’s political beliefs are so polarizing that the city of Frankfurt tried to stop his concert in the area from happening. In a statement, Frankfurt’s city council called Waters “one of the world’s most well-known antisemites,” and moved to cancel his show at Festhalle, a venue that used to be a Jewish detention camp. The concert went on as planned after Waters took legal action against the city council.

Protestor Storms Stage with Israeli Flag at Roger Waters Concert
Carys Anderson

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