The US State Department has issued a statement condemning the recent Berlin concert of Roger Waters, co-founder of Pink Floyd, describing it as “profoundly insulting to the Jewish community.” The department has further accused Waters of consistently employing anti-Semitic rhetoric.
Last month, Waters, 79, performed in a black trench coat adorned with a logo reminiscent of a swastika, triggering controversy. The artist defended his act, explaining it as a protest against fascism, bigotry, and injustice. He dismissed the backlash as “insincere and politically driven.”
Following the event, Waters was investigated by the Berlin police for potential “incitement of the people.” Several critics, including US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Deborah Lipstadt, have slammed the performance. Lipstadt referred to it as “Holocaust distortion,” further reiterating a tweet from the European Commission’s coordinator on combating anti-Semitism that condemned Waters.
The State Department, through an unnamed official’s email comments, supported Lipstadt’s viewpoint and asserted that Waters’ Berlin performance contained elements “deeply offensive to the Jewish community and belittled the Holocaust.” The department further accused Waters of a history of using anti-Semitic narratives to insult Jewish people.
The department refrained from responding to additional inquiries, such as whether officials had witnessed the performance in any capacity and didn’t offer instances of Waters’ alleged use of anti-Semitic language.
Images captured at the May 17 concert depicted the renowned singer and bassist brandishing a fake machine gun at the audience, simulating scenes from a film based on Pink Floyd’s iconic 1979 album, The Wall, an anti-fascism critique. Waters stated on Twitter that his performances have consistently depicted “a deranged fascist demagogue” since The Wall.
Waters, a staunch supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement led by Palestinians, which opposes Israel’s occupation of territories claimed by Palestinians, is a vehement critic of US foreign policy. Earlier this year, he addressed the UN Security Council at Russia’s behest.
