Roger Waters Releases Statement on 'The Wall' Costume Controversy

Roger Waters has launched a press release concerning the latest controversy over his May 17 live performance in Berlin, Germany. “My recent performance in Berlin has attracted bad faith attacks from those who want to smear and silence me because they disagree with my political views and moral principles,” the assertion posted to Waters’ Facebook, included beneath, started.

“The elements of my performance that have been questioned are quite clearly a statement in opposition to fascism, injustice, and bigotry in all its forms. Attempts to portray those elements as something else are disingenuous and politically motivated. The depiction of an unhinged fascist demagogue has been a feature of my shows since Pink Floyd’s The Wall in 1980.”

“I have spent my entire life speaking out against authoritarianism and oppression wherever I see it,” Waters continues. “When I was a child after the war, the name of Anne Frank was often spoken in our house, she became a permanent reminder of what happens when fascism is left unchecked. My parents fought the Nazis in World War II, with my father paying the ultimate price.”

Waters concluded the assertion by writing, “Regardless of the consequences of the attacks against me, I will continue to condemn injustice and all those who perpetrate it.”

During his efficiency of “In the Flesh?” in Berlin, Waters wore a protracted, black leather-based coat with gloves and a crimson armband with crossed hammers, and banners with the identical hammer image hung over his head. See a video of the 2023 efficiency towards the underside of the web page.

This was the identical uniform Bob Geldof wore when he starred as Pink through the “In the Flesh?” scene within the movie The Wall, and Waters has worn it throughout many concert events prior to now (see a video of him performing the music in 1990 right here and a 2015 digital video of him performing the music right here).

However, the uniform is primarily based on that of the Nazi officers — the crossed hammers are positioned the place the swastikas had been positioned on the SS uniforms — so the Nazi references upset many individuals. In addition, Nazi imagery and gestures are unlawful in Germany.

Following the live performance, the State Security Department on the Berlin State Criminal Police Office “initiated a criminal investigation procedure regarding the suspicion of incitement of the people (140 Paragraph 4 of the German criminal Code),” Police chief inspector Martin Halweg stated in a press release [via Jewish News].

“The context of the clothes worn is deemed able to approving, glorifying or justifying the violent and arbitrary rule of the Nazi regime in a way that violates the dignity of the victims and thereby disrupts public peace. After the conclusion of the investigation, the case will likely be forwarded to the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office for authorized evaluation.”