Court overturns ban on Roger Waters concert in Frankfurt

He decided on Monday Frankfurt Administrative Court. The town hall and Hesse are co-owners of the Frankfurt trade fair complex, which rents out the aforementioned hall.

In November 1938, during the anti-Semitic pogroms, the early 20th century building became the site where the Nazis rounded up three thousand Jewish men and then deported them to concentration camps.

Critics of Waters’ planned May 28 performance have blamed the British singer’s ties to the initiative, which calls for boycotts and sanctions against Israel over its policies toward the Palestinians. Waters uses symbols reminiscent of National Socialism during his performance, such as the release of balloons in the shape of a pig and the rising Star of David.

In its ruling, the Administrative Court acknowledged that Waters had in fact used such symbols. On the other hand, he argued for freedom of artistic expression, saying that the concert did not in any way violate human dignity and did not glorify or compare Nazi crimes. “We are not aware of Waters’ use of any propaganda material on his show,” said a spokesman for the court.

The city of Frankfurt and Hessian authorities recently instructed the trade fair company to terminate its lease of the hall to the promoter of Waters’ concert. The singer then went to court, saying he was not anti-Semitic and interested in freedom of expression.

In recent months, Waters has come under fire for his statements regarding the war in Ukraine. Among other things, the singer criticized the West and NATO for supplying weapons to Kiev and for “provoking Russia”.

Waters, 79, also plans to perform two shows in Prague – on May 24 and May 25, when he will perform at Prague’s O2 Arena. The concerts are part of his This Is Not A Trill tour, which the artist describes as his farewell tour.