Ha ha charade you are.
BDS is not anti-Semitic.
I guess it’s a good thing that nobody on the Frankfurt council said it was then.
yes they did – or at least the article did
No, they didn’t, and neither did the article.
The municipality of Frankfurt announced on Friday that it is canceling the upcoming show of former Pink Floyd singer Roger Waters, citing his alleged status as “one of the world’s most well-known antisemites” as the reason.
…
The council also condemned Waters for his support of the BDS campaign that calls for boycotting Israel and for the pressure he exerted on other artists not to perform in Israel.
Notice the use of the word ‘also’ in ‘also condemned.’
Not seeing the connection with Business Data Services.
I dunno, there seems to be an implication of antisemitism, just by proximity, but you’re right that it wasn’t explicitly said either.
Tanks for the memories, Roger (he’s been wowing them on a tour in Germany).
"According to a journalist with German media outlet Belltower News , the concert began with an announcement from Waters saying: “The show will start in 10 minutes and a court in Frankfurt has ruled that I am not an antisemite.”
OK…there are certainly legitimate reasons to severely criticize Israel’s human rights record. There are no legitimate reasons I can think of to wear an SS uniform while doing so.
Also, isn’t wearing Nazi regalia an actual crime in Germany?
In this situation, probably not.
Swastikas and other banned symbols can, however, be displayed in Germany if they are used for “civic education, countering anti-constitutional activities, art and science, research and education, the coverage of historic and current events, or similar purposes,” according to the Criminal Code.
As a musician performing on stage, he could probably argue that it was done for “art”.
It’s hard to tell, but I think he is wearing the Marching Hammers symbol from The Wall, not an actual swastika. But, otherwise, it sure looks like an SS uniform.
Well, maybe Roger just adores leather.
The video footage from the concert is especially good.
To me, it is not hard to tell: it is the marching hammers (which alludes to the NAZI swastika, in a non-approving sort of way). Perhaps he has a hair up his ass regarding FC West Ham United?
Yeah, he’s not actually wearing a real swastika, and he can point out that leather trenchcoats and jackboots were worn by both Nazis and Communists, so as far as German law is concerned, his backside is covered.
That character has been nazi-esque since The Wall came out. Anyone who gave a pass to the lyrics that precede “Who let all of this riff raff into the room?” up until now have to sit down and shut up about it. It’s a character. Stop making me defend Roger Waters.
I thought that was his standard costume for portions of The Wall going back decades? Is this not what you expected to see?
I would also note he is almost certainly not wearing a swastika with his “uniform” for these performances. Because, again, this regalia has been part of performances of The Wall going back decades, nigh on half a century, with an emblem of crossed hammers being the Pink-verse’s stand-in for the swastika from the act’s inception.
I saw Waters on his 2011 tour when he was performing The Wall in its entirety, and it’s definitely a Hammers uniform that he wears during “In the Flesh?” and its reprise. That being said;
- Wearing it in Germany
- At a time when fascism and white supremacy are on the rise internationally
- After publicly coming out in support of a fascist state engaged in an unprovoked war of conquest
- While belittling Anne Frank and comparing Israel to Nazi Germany
is a pretty big boneheaded move.
There are legitimate reasons to criticize Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, but by no means are they anywhere near the moral equivalent of the Nazis. Waters doesn’t have the right to try and satirize fascism while he’s publicly being Putin’s stooge.
The only new element as far as the performance would go would be Anne Frank, and did he “belittle” her, or did he draw a comparison to another victim of an increasingly authoritarian regime?
He performed the act in Germany way back in 1990, as the Times of Israel article itself even notes.
I can’t speak for his criticism of Israel or whether it crosses into anti-semitism, but for the first couple decades at least The Wall was decidedly anti-fascist, anti-authoritarian, anti-nativism, and anti-white supremacy. However, in conveying such a message, it did so by depicting extremes on stage, in effect showing the main characters dissent into fascism before the wall finally comes crumbling down. Hence the adoption of regalia meant to invoke comparisons to historical fascist movements, including the Nazis.
If anything, I think the original performance resonates more so today than ever, with fascism on the rise and Republicans in the US literally building walls as a symbol of the very dogmas The Wall condemned.
And you know what? The way things have been driving towards right wing nationalism in Israel lately, he might just have a point in drawing those parallels.
Criticism of Israel is not per se antisemitism.
1990 was a time when the world could realistically have hope that totalitarianism was on its way out and we all had a bright future ahead of us. The outlook for the near future in 2023 is, to put it lightly, not as optimistic. And even back then his work managed to inspire an actual white supremacist group.