Roger Waters takes legal action over axing of concerts he calls a ‘blatant attempt to silence me’ amid antisemitism claims
Pink Floyd co-founder and bassist Roger Waters has vowed to take legal action after a planned concert in Frankfurt was cancelled by officials who branded him one of the “world’s most widely spread antisemites”.
The veteran musician was scheduled to perform at the city’s Festhalle on 28 May as part of his This Is Not A Drill European tour.
However, Frankfurt city council and the Hessian state government agreed to cancel the show in a bid to “set an example against antisemitism” last month.
Waters denies being antisemitic and in a statement issued on Thursday has described the cancellation as a “blatant attempt to silence him”.
But a statement issued by Frankfurt City Council said: “The background to the cancellation is the persistent anti-Israel behaviour of the former Pink Floyd frontman, who is considered one of the most widely spread antisemites in the world.
“He 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.”
The decision was approved by the Magistrate of the City of Frankfurt on 24 February.
The statement added: “The magistrate therefore feels called upon to set a clear signal against antisemitism that is supported by society as a whole.”
A spokesperson for Frankfurt City Council told Sky News that event organiser Messe Frankfurt will be instructed to terminate the contract with the concert agency, adding that “the letter of termination for this is currently being voted on”.
Four days later on 28 February, Munich City Council introduced a motion to cancel a concert scheduled for 21 May at the Munich Olympiahalle.
The motion said Waters “keeps stirring up antisemitic resentment” and also accused him of “spreading conspiracy ideologies that justify Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine“.
The 79-year-old announced on Thursday that he will take legal action over the “unjustifiable decision” in a statement issued by his management.
The statement, entitled “Roger Waters fights back”, accused the authorities of having “extraordinary and prejudicial intention” to cancel the concert.
The actions of both Frankfurt and Munich officials are “unconstitutional, without justification and based on the false accusation that Roger Waters is anti-Semitic, which he is not”, it said.
Waters performing in Los Angeles last September Pic: AP
“As a result of this unilateral, politically motivated action, Mr Waters has instructed his lawyers to immediately take all necessary steps to overturn this unjustifiable decision to ensure that his fundamental human right of freedom of speech is protected and that all of those who wish to see him perform, are free to do so in Frankfurt, Munich and in any other city in any other country.
“Mr Waters believes that if this blatant attempt to silence him is left unchallenged it could have serious, far-reaching consequences for artists and activists all over the world.”
Tickets for both the Frankfurt and Munich shows are still available for sale on the Roger Waters website.
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Now a cross-party group of politicians on Cologne City Council are also demanding a show on 9 May should be cancelled, according to German newspaper, Algemeiner.
Pink Floyd performing during Live 8 in London in 2005. L-R Dave Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright. Pic: DPA
An open letter said “there must be no room for antisemitic content on our stages”.
Waters has previously condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called for a ceasefire.
However, he also said the conflict was “provoked” during an address to the UN Security Council at Moscow’s invitation.
His views on Israel and the Ukraine war have sparked criticism including from Pink Floyd vocalist and guitarist David Gilmour.
In an interview with a German newspaper, Waters said of Vladimir Putin: “According to independent voices I listen to, he governs carefully, making decisions on the grounds of a consensus in the Russian Federation government.
He added: “I wonder: is Putin a bigger gangster than Joe Biden and all those in charge of American politics since World War II? I am not so sure. Putin didn’t invade Vietnam or Iraq? Did he?”
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Succession star Sarah Snook has revealed she is pregnant with her first child during the red-carpet premiere of the final season of the show.
The 35-year-old Australian actress told reporters she felt “great” about her impending motherhood.
As one quarter of the show’s feuding Roy brood, she plays Shiv, who along with brothers Connor, Kendall and Roman, face a constant battle to impress their demanding father Logan Roy.
Attending the event in New York on Monday in a black fitted jumpsuit and long silver cardigan, she told US outlet Extra that she had brought along “someone I have not met, but am intimate with”.
Asked if she had learned anything about being a parent from Succession, she said: “What not to do.”
“I don’t think the Roy family are a paragon of family values, I don’t think we can really be looking to them for guidance.”
Snook later told Entertainment Tonight that the news was “exciting” adding: “I feel great.”
She married Australian comedian Dave Lawson in 2021.
Written by British screenwriter Jesse Armstrong, the upcoming fourth season of Succession is highly anticipated, not least because it has been confirmed it will be its final series.
(R-L): Jeremy Strong, Snook and Kieran Culkin. Pic: Sky Atlantic
Fans have followed the dysfunctional Roy family through three series as they fight for control over a media empire. It stars several household names, including Snook, Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin and Matthew Macfadyen.
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Cox, who stars as Logan Roy, said despite its success, ending the show now was the right thing to do.
He said: “I think it’s great… It’s good television, [it] doesn’t try to be infinite as it sometimes does. It repeats itself. Shows go on far too long. The genius is Jesse Armstrong and also the genius of his writers as well.
“They know there is an element of finite, and they finish it because each season has to top the next season. So, you have to make the fourth season the best season so far.”
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The final trailer for the fourth season of Succession was released earlier this month.
The show will pick up after the Roy siblings’ failed coup and their father’s proposal to sell Waystar RoyCo.
This season will again feature Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard, playing tech mogul Lukas Matsson – the man set to take over the media empire.
Season 4 of Succession airs in the UK exclusively on Sky Atlantic from 27 March.
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