Roger Waters sparks backlash after comparing Anne Frank to Abu Akleh
Audience members also shared pictures online showing Waters apparently dressed up as an SS soldier and firing a dummy rifle during the concert
Former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters, known for his vocal anti-Israel campaign, is facing criticism after images from his last week’s show in Berlin emerged online.
During the show, the names Anne Frank and Shireen Abu Akleh were projected side by side, apparently drawing an equivalence between the teenage Holocaust victim and the Palestinian journalist who was accidentally shot dead while covering Israel’s operation in the West Bank last year. The Israeli Foreign Ministry was among the voices condemning the stunt as inappropriate and anti-Semitic.
“Good morning to everyone but Roger Waters who spent the evening in Berlin (Yes Berlin) desecrating the memory of Anne Frank and the 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust,” the Foreign Ministry's tweet said.
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Israeli lawmaker and former ambassador to the UN Danny Danon also responded, calling Waters “one of the biggest Jew haters of our time.”
Jewish organizations slammed Waters’ “sickening” performance, wondering how it was allowed in Germany in 2023. They noted that the comparison between the murder of millions of Jews by Nazis and the death of the reporter who was covering an armed conflict was “Holocaust distortion.”
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According to reports, the Mercedes Benz arena, where the concert took place, asked police to expel Jewish activists to prevent them from handing out protest flyers. However, members of the anti-Israel BDS movement were allowed to pass out their flyers at a table outside the venue.
Audience members also shared pictures online showing Waters apparently dressed as an SS soldier with an armband and firing a dummy rifle during the concert.
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The concert was part of his farewell tour called "This Is Not a Drill." There were limited efforts to cancel his tour dates in Germany due to the musician’s history of anti-Semitic remarks. Earlier in April, Waters scored a legal victory in a German court, permitting him to perform in Frankfurt on May 28. He also performed in Cologne, Hamburg, Munich and Berlin, despite protests from Jewish organizations, and will continue his tour across Europe.