By Romana Rubeo
Pink Floyd rock legend Roger Waters has announced his intention to take legal action against the German municipalities of Frankfurt and Munich for canceling his scheduled concerts, based on claims that the English rock star is “antisemitic”.
“My lawyers are taking steps to ensure that my concerts in Munich and Frankfurt in May 2023 will take place as contracted,” Waters tweeted in a statement shared on March 16, adding:
“Human rights and freedom of speech for everyone under German law must prevail, and that is why I am taking this position.”
On February 24, the city of Frankfurt decided to cancel Waters’ gig after intense pressure from pro-Israel groups. Waters is known for his unwavering commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is a strong supporter of Palestinian rights.
Waters is not unique in that armed allegations of anti-Semitism have been leveled against him in Germany. The EuroMed Human Rights Monitor recently expressed concern about “anti-Arab filtering in the German media.”
Waters has become an outspoken critic of apartheid Israel and the oppression of the Palestinian people since he first visited the West Bank in 2006 and was approached by the BDS movement to support his campaign.
“I want to say for the record and once and for all that I am not and have never been anti-Semitic and nothing that anyone can say or publish will change that,” said Waters. He declared:
“My well-publicized comments relate entirely to the policies and actions of the Israeli government and not to the people of Israel”.
After the cancellation of his Frankfurt concert, respected intellectuals and celebrities spoke out against the German city’s decision.
In a video that has since gone viral, Palestinian author and Palestine Chronicle editor Ramzy Baroud said that the attack on Waters is completely connected to his strong position for a just peace in Palestine.
“I am confident that the truth and the law will prevail and that these authorities will not succeed in denying any of my basic human rights,” Waters concluded.
– Romana Rubeo is an Italian writer and managing editor of The Palestine Chronicle. Her articles have appeared in many online newspapers and academic journals. She has a Masters in Foreign Languages and Literature and specializes in audiovisual and journalistic translation.
