The nicest thing I could say about the former bassist for Pink Floyd is too nasty for me to say on this website. After he left the group, Waters proved himself to be an anti-Semite, Holocaust denier, and Israel hater. He featured a flying pig balloon with Jewish stars on it at a performance and desecrated the name of Anne Frank at another. Yes, the lunatic is in his head. You lock the door and throw away the key, there’s someone in his head, but it’s not me.
According to the BBC, he might have gone too far this time. You see, wearing a Nazi uniform or displaying Nazi flags and other symbols in Germany can get you tossed into the poky) but at a recent concert in Germany, he wore what seemed to be an SS uniform.
"Performing at Berlin’s Mercedes-Benz Arena on May 17, Mr. Waters was seen wearing a long black overcoat with a red armband.
"He also aimed an imitation machine gun into the audience.
"(…)”We are investigating on suspicion of incitement to public hatred because the clothing worn on stage could be used to glorify or justify Nazi rule, thereby disturbing the public peace,” said police spokesman Martin Halweg.
“'The clothing resembles the clothing of an SS officer,' he added."
Anybody who has heard of or read about Waters should not be surprised.
In 1986 Waters quit Pink Floyd, publicly announcing the band was no more; however, the rest of the band disagreed. The remaining bandmates, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright, continued. After Waters lost a lawsuit where he tried to prevent the group from using the name “Pink Floyd,” The band soldiered on with two successful albums and worldwide tours. Even though there have been a few reunions at charity events, most notably the 2005 Live 8 concert, that doesn’t mean the band will get back together.
After Live 8, the band’s frontman, and one of the all-time great rock guitarists, David Gilmour, told the Associated Press that a reunion would not happen: “The [Live 8] rehearsals convinced me [that] it wasn’t something I wanted to be doing a lot of … There have been all sorts of farewell moments in people’s lives and careers which they have then rescinded, but I think I can fairly categorically say that there won’t be a tour or an album again that I take part in.”
At the German concert, police spokesman Martin Halweg reported
“The clothing resembles the clothing of an SS officer,” he added.
"Mr. Waters’ jacket included a red armband with two black crossed hammers on a white circle.
"Some on social media pointed out that the musician had worn the same outfit at previous shows.
"The symbols are similar to those appearing on costumes in the 1982 film, The Wall, based on the Pink Floyd album of the same name and starring fellow musician turned activist Bob Geldof.In one scene, Mr. Geldof plays a rock star hallucinating that he is leading a fascist rally.
"Police authorities have said that once the allegations have been reviewed, that the matter will be passed on to the public prosecutor, who will decide how to proceed."
The Simon Wiesenthal Center criticized the concert and asked that German authorities prosecute Waters for invoking and distorting Holocaust images.
“Shame on Frankfurt authorities and Mercedes Benz arena in Berlin — a place from where Jews were deported by the Nazis — for providing anti-Semite #RogerWaters this venue for his concert with no concern/care for the Jewish community,” the center tweeted.
But that isn’t something that the Frankfurt police will consider when they decide next steps with Waters.
How to proceed? Roger Waters is a Nazi wanna-be, and per German law, he should be locked up in a cell for a few years.
In December 2013, CounterPunch magazine published an interview with the aging rockstar. He used anti-Semitic canards, calling for action against what he described as the Nazi-like actions of Israel, the “right-wing rabbinate,” and “the Jewish lobby.”
Waters’ hatred became more known, he became an outcast in the music industry, condemned by his peers and the press, ridiculed by commentators and industry insiders (Wish You Weren’t Here was the title of a 2017 documentary by Ian Halperin) and, more importantly, shunned by iconic performers who either totally ignored him or publicly exposed his hypocrisy.
Waters’s BDS efforts have focused on preventing other musicians from performing in Israel. Which has ruined his name in the music industry.
In a Facebook post about his recent German Trip:
"Mr Waters denies the accusations. In a Facebook post this week he thanked those who had attended his shows in Germany.
"He also paid tribute to the White Rose movement, a resistance group during the Nazi period.
"He said: “The fact that some in power in Germany and some at the behest of the Israeli lobby have attacked me, wrongly accusing me of being an antisemite, and have tried to cancel my shows saddens me.
(… ),
"He is still scheduled to play his final concert in Germany on Sunday evening in Frankfurt.Demonstrations are planned outside the venue, after a legal attempt by the city to stop the performance failed.
"A British MP has also called for a gig that Waters is due to play in Manchester in June to be cancelled."
I am sure, dear readers, you “get it” There are many more examples even worse than above. But this will have to be it. I can’t add commentary to those examples without using words I try to avoid on this site.
Jeff Dunetz is editor/publisher of the blog "The Lid." and a contributor to Israel National News and The Jewish Press. He is a weekly Thursday Guest on The Schaftlein Report, a National Board Member of Herut North America and Herut Representative on The AZM Board