Roger Waters takes legal action after German concerts cancelled
Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters is taking legal action following his cancelled concerts in Germany. This decision comes after venues blocked his upcoming concerts in Frankfurt and Munich over allegations of antisemitic sentiments levelled against the musician.
Waters is scheduled to perform five shows in Germany in May this year as part of the This is Not a Drill tour. However, German politicians and organisations have called for the country to lead the campaign to block Waters from performing.
In late February, Frankfurt City Council cancelled his planned performance on May 28th with a public statement that denounced the 79-year-old as “one of the most far-reaching anti-Semites in the world”. Since then, Jewish organisations have urged other venues to follow suit.
Adding to the pressure to block Waters from playing in Germany, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency issued a statement announcing: “The background to the cancellation is the persistent anti-Israel behaviour of the former Pink Floyd frontman, who is considered one of the most widely spread antisemites in the world.”
Adding: “He repeatedly called for a cultural boycott of Israel and drew comparisons to the apartheid regime in South Africa and put pressure on artists to cancel events in Israel.”
Now, in a press release from Mark Fenwick Management – London, on behalf of “Mr George Roger Waters”, it has been revealed that he is taking legal action following his cancelled shows in Germany. The release starts: “London, UK – Roger Waters defends freedom of speech and takes legal action against proposed concert cancellations in Frankfurt and Munich”.
The statement adds: “In February 2023, the Hessian State Government and then the Magistrate of the City of Frankfurt announced their extraordinary and prejudicial intention to cancel a concert scheduled to be performed by Roger Waters at the Festhalle in Frankfurt on 28 May. On 28 February 2023, a motion was introduced in the Munich City Council to cancel the concert scheduled for 21 May 2023, in the Munich Olympiahalle. These actions are unconstitutional, without justification, and based upon the false accusation that Roger Waters is antisemitic, which he is not.”
“As a result of this unilateral, politically motivated action, Mr Waters has instructed his lawyers to immediately take all necessary steps to overturn this unjustifiable decision to ensure that his fundamental human right of freedom of speech is protected and that all of those who wish to see him perform, are free to do so in Frankfurt, Munich and in any other city in any other country.”
It concludes: “Mr Waters believes that if this blatant attempt to silence him is left unchallenged it could have serious, far-reaching consequences for artists and activists all over the world”.
This is a developing story.
