Roger Waters vows to play Frankfurt gig

Roger Waters says he is pressing ahead with his planned Frankfurt performance next month, despite the city’s attempts to cancel the show.

Waters’ Festhalle date on 28 May, which forms part of the German leg of his This Is Not a Drill tour, has become shrouded in controversy over allegations of antisemitism levelled against the 79-year-old Pink Floyd co-founder.

A statement issued by Frankfurt City Council said: “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.

“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.”

However, an update posted on Waters’ Instagram page indicates the concert will proceed as scheduled.

Frankfurt Council were legally required to respond to Roger Waters’ interim injunction by midnight April 14. Did they? Nobody knows”

“Frankfurt Council were legally required to respond to Roger Waters’ interim injunction by midnight April 14. Did they? Nobody knows,” says the post. “We can only guess at what’s going on in Frankfurt. Are they playing for time? Who knows? Not that it matters much. We’re coming anyway! Because human rights matter! Because free speech matters!”

Waters said last month that he was taking legal action, describing the moves to cancel the concert as “unconstitutional”, as well as “without justification, and based upon the false accusation that Roger Waters is antisemitic, which he is not”.

American journalist Katie Halper launched a petition last month, backed by a raft of high-profile signatories, demanding for Waters’ upcoming concerts in Germany to be allowed to go ahead. Almost 35,000 people have now signed the petition including artists Eric Clapton, Brian Eno, Nick Mason, Peter Gabriel and Tom Morello.

“We artists, musicians, writers, and other public figures and organisations are deeply disturbed by the recent efforts by German officials to discredit and silence musician Roger Waters,” it reads.

“Officials in Germany, concert organisers, and music platforms must not succumb to the pressure of those individuals and groups who would rather see Waters’ music removed than engage with the issues his music highlights. We call on those who have cancelled Waters’ concerts to reverse their decisions.”

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