Roger Waters at PPG Paints Arena
photo by Kate Izor

Frankfurt cancels Roger Waters' show, accuses him of antisemitism

Roger Waters is set to begin a European tour in March, but the Frankfurt show, scheduled for May 28 at Festhalle, has now been cancelled. The city holds a 60% stake in the venue, giving it the authority to cancel the show, and a translated message from city council calls Waters “one of the world’s most well-known antisemites.” It continues:

[Waters] repeatedly called for a cultural boycott of Israel and drew comparisons to the apartheid regime in South Africa and put pressure on artists to cancel events in Israel. A balloon in the shape of a pig with images of the Star of David and several company logos was part of Waters’ stage show at over 200 concerts as part of “The Wall Live Tour” from 2010 to 2013 he disseminated, among other things, in media close to the terrorist organization Hamas.

The statement also points out shows scheduled in Hamburg, Cologne, Berlin, and Munich in May. All are currently set to go ahead as scheduled.

In response to the cancellation, Waters retweeted a video from Palestinian-American journalist Dr. Ramzy Baroud saying that the cancellation was because of Rogers’ support of Palestine. “Thanks Ramzy! You tell’em my brother,” Waters wrote.