Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters says Berlin gig controversy a ‘smear’

Pink Floyd’s frontman Roger Waters said he opposes “fascism” in all its forms following a furore in Germany where the rockstar’s donning of a Nazi-style uniform at a Berlin concert sparked a police investigation.

Berlin police said on Friday they were probing Waters after images of the Pink Floyd co-founder circulated on social media, showing him on stage last week at the Mercedes-Benz arena wearing a long, black coat with red armbands and firing an imitation World War II sub-machine gun.Police are investigating the “suspicion of incitement to public hatred because the clothing worn on stage could be used to glorify or justify Nazi rule”, a police spokesman told the French news agency AFP.

When the police investigation is concluded, the case will be handed to Berlin prosecutors, police said.

Felix Klein, the German government’s commissioner on the fight against anti-Semitism, called for Waters to be held accountable. Klein said authorities need to be “vigilant” following the incident and music venues should rethink their relationship with the musician, according to a report in Germany’s Funke media group.

“Concert organisers should consider whether they want to offer conspiracy theorists a platform,” Klein was reported as saying.

In a statement posted on his Twitter account on Saturday, Waters said his Berlin concert had “attracted bad faith attacks from those who want to smear and silence me because they disagree with my political views”.

Waters said attempts to portray his performance as anything but anti-Fascist were “disingenuous and politically motivated”.

“The elements of my performance that have been questioned are quite clearly a statement in opposition to fascism, injustice, and bigotry in all its forms,” he said.In a statement posted on his Twitter account on Saturday, Waters said his Berlin concert had “attracted bad faith attacks from those who want to smear and silence me because they disagree with my political views”.

Waters said attempts to portray his performance as anything but anti-Fascist were “disingenuous and politically motivated”.

“The elements of my performance that have been questioned are quite clearly a statement in opposition to fascism, injustice, and bigotry in all its forms,” he said.“Regardless of the consequences of the attacks against me, I will continue to condemn injustice and all those who perpetrate it.”

Water is a well-known pro-Palestinian activist who has been accused of holding anti-Jewish views. He has floated an inflatable pig emblazoned with the Star of David at his concerts. The singer denies the anti-Semitism accusations, saying he was protesting against Israeli policies, not Jewish people.