Protester storms stage at Roger Waters concert waving an Israeli flag
A protester stormed the stage at a concert by Roger Waters in Frankfurt on May 28th following accusations of antisemitism against the former Pink Floyd member.
A video shared by Israeli journalist Emily Schrader shows a protester making their way onto the stage while Waters is performing to wave an Israeli flag before security guards escort him away. Simultaneously, a small portion of the crowd raised their own flags and sang “Am Israel Chai”, which translates to “The People of Israel Live”.
Recently, Berlin police opened a criminal investigation into Waters after he appeared to wear a Nazi-style uniform during his show in the German capital on May 17th. During the show, Waters briefly donned what looked to be an SS uniform and pretended to fire a rifle during part of his set. In addition to the costume, Waters also compared the death of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh to the demise of Anne Frank in the Belsen Nazi death camp by putting both of their names on a screen behind him during the performance.
Waters has since responded, labelling the investigation a “smear” and an attempt to “silence” him. The ex-Pink Floyd singer said in a statement: “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 protest at the Frankfurt concert was supported by Sacha Stawski, a member of the Frankfurt Jewish community and head of the group Honestly Concerned. She said to the Associated Press: “Against this historical background, the concert should not have taken place under any circumstances.”
Additionally, Elio Adler, the head of the Jewish group WerteInitiative which backed the protest, said it was “very frustrating” the concert still went ahead. Labour MP Christian Wakeford recently called for Waters’ upcoming show in Manchester on June 10th to be cancelled, citing the musician’s “divisive actions”.
Watch the protester storm the stage below.
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