Roger Waters' recent comments about the war in Ukraine and his alleged antisemitism haven't just raised the ire of fans and his former bandmate David Gilmour: Germany isn't too thrilled with him either.
The German news site DW.com reports that local politicians in Cologne, Germany, want to cancel a Waters concert scheduled to take place May 9. The city council's members have sent an open letter to the manager of the venue where Waters is set to play, asking them to "do everything they can to prevent the concert" and questioning why the concert's organizers would give Waters a platform.
It's worth noting, though, that since the venue is private, the city council has no say in whether or not the concert takes place.
In addition, DW.com reports that an alliance of Jewish groups are calling for the cancellation of a Waters concert scheduled for Frankfurt in late May. In a statement, the alliance accuses Waters of antisemitic propaganda and of expressing "hostility toward Jews" at events.
The alliance refers to Waters as an "antisemitic conspiracy theorist and Israel-hater" and argues that "protecting human dignity in the public sphere" outweighs "freedom of expression."
The Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media told a local paper that she can't ban Waters' concerts, but she'd like to see concert promoters stop booking him — and if they can't do that, she'd like to see him "play to empty halls."
Waters has said, among other things, that Russia's invasion of the Ukraine was "provoked." He has actively called on musicians not to perform in Israel.
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