A petition has been launched to reverse the decision banning Roger Waters from performing in Frankfurt, Germany.
The former Pink Floyd member was set to perform in the city on May 28 as part of his This Is Not A Drill tour – however the show was pulled by the officials at Frankfurt City Council following accusations of anti-Semitism.
Now, famous faces including Eric Clapton, Rage Against The Machine‘s Tom Morello and Pink Floyd’s own Nick Mason have rallied behind Waters, and backed a Change.org petition aiming to have the decision overturned.
Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel and Soft Machine founder Robert Wyatt have also shown their solidarity, as well as actors Susan Sarandon and Julie Christie, and film director Ken Loach. Currently, the petition has more than 10,000 signatures.
Roger Waters. Credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
“Waters’ criticism of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians is part of his long-term advocacy on behalf of human rights across the globe,” reads the description alongside the petition. “The officials vilifying Waters are engaging in a dangerous campaign that purposely conflates criticism of Israel’s illegal and unjust policies with antisemitism.”
It continues: “Officials in Germany, concert organisers, and music platforms must not succumb to the pressure of those individuals and groups who would rather see Waters’ music removed than engage with the issues his music highlights.”
A second petition has also been launched online, opposing the first.
The decision to cancel the upcoming concert arose last month, with the city council citing Waters’ “persistent anti-Israel behaviour” as their reasoning. A similar motion also arose against his show in Munich, set for May 21.
‘This Is Not A Drill’ Tour poster. Credit: Press
Last week, management confirmed that Waters was willing to take legal action against the decision, branding the ban as “unconstitutional”, “without justification” and an attempt to “silence him”.
Former bandmate, David Gilmour and his wife, Polly Samson, took to social media last month to criticise the musician as being both “anti-Semitic” and “misogynistic”. “[He is] a Putin apologist and a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy, megalomaniac,” Samson tweeted.
These comments were later refuted by Waters, who issued a statement describing the accusations as “incendiary and wildly inaccurate”.
Currently, the decision to cancel the Frankfurt show remains in place. All other dates as part of the This Is Not A Drill tour are scheduled to continue.
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