German police have opened an investigation into Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters after he fired a fake machine gun while wearing a Nazi-inspired uniform at a concert in Berlin.
British bassist and singer was filmed wearing a long black coat and a red armband – with crossed hammers instead of swastikas – as he pretended to fire the fake gun during a skit between songs.
Germany has strict rules against the use of Nazi imagery – punishable by up to three years in prison – although its laws allow exceptions for artistic or educational reasons.
Video clips and photos from the show, at the German capital’s Mercedes-Benz Arena on May 17, sparked outrage.
Another image from the concert shows the name of Holocaust victim Anne Frank in large letters in the background.
Critics include the Israeli Foreign Ministry. He wrote on Twitter: “Hello everyone except Roger Waters who spent the evening in Berlin (Yes Berlin) desecrating the memory of Anne Frank and the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust.”
The US campaign group StopAntisemitism also accused Waters of “disparaging” Frank’s murder.
He added: “Good news! The Berlin police have launched a criminal investigation.”
Berlin Police Chief Inspector Martin Halweg confirmed to Sky News that officers had “launched a criminal investigation into the case over suspicions of inciting the public”.
He added: “The context of the stage wear worn is likely to condone, glorify or justify the Nazi dictatorship and arbitrary rule in a way that violates the dignity of the victims and thereby disturbs the public peace.
“All inculpatory and exculpatory evidence will be collected for the preliminary investigation and will be used in the proceedings.”
Prosecutors will review all possible charges once police complete their investigations.
“It’s a parody”
But the singer’s fans said his performance was a recreation of a scene in pink floydThe 1982 film The Wall, based on the hit album of the same name.
The film features a character, played by singer Bob Geldof, who imagines himself to be a fascist dictator who uses crossed hammers as his symbol.
Read more from Sky News:
The Chancellor is comfortable with the recession if it lowers inflation
The bank holiday weekend could see the hottest day of the year so far
11-year-old boy ‘shot in the chest’ by police officer, he calls for help
Waters also defended his longstanding use of such images and said they are meant to criticize groups such as the Nazis and show how “it is very easy for populist politics to turn into fascism.”
Earlier this month, ahead of the gig, he told the Katie Halper Show podcast: “It’s darling theatre. The idea that no one can ever dress in a Nazi uniform f****** , to do anything, in a theater or a movie, is ridiculous, obviously… it’s a parody.”
He added, “I think anti-Semitism is abhorrent and racist and I condemn it unreservedly.”
It comes after Waters won a legal battle with officials in Frankfurt, who tried to cancel his planned concert in the city this Sunday, May 28.
Frankfurt city council and the state government of Hesse banned the show in an effort to “Leading by example against anti-Semitism“.
The ban was overturned following a legal appeal by Waters.
The solo star also canceled two shows scheduled in Poland last year, reportedly over his views on the war in ukraine.
