After Frankfurt am Main and Cologne, the city of Munich now wants to prevent a planned concert by Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters. The singer repeatedly stirs up anti-Semitic resentment and makes conspiracy-ideological statements, for example in relation to the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, including at his concerts, the government coalition of SPD/Volt and Greens/Pink List justified their claim on Monday. The CSU and Free Voters faction is also in favor of terminating the contracts for the performance on May 21 in the Olympiahalle.
If a cancellation is not possible, the SPD and the Greens are calling for signs to be set on the day of the concert, for example with flags from Israel and Ukraine, lighting up the Olympic Tower or the distribution of information sheets. In addition, a legal opinion should clarify for the future how performances by artists who attract attention with anti-Semitism, conspiracy myths or a connection to the Reich citizen scene can be prevented.
The factions in the town hall criticize, among other things, that Roger Waters uses the anti-Semitic narrative of an “extremely powerful Jewish lobby” and questions Israel’s right to exist. Recently he has been spreading conspiracy ideologies that relativize and justify Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. He often used concerts as a stage for his political propaganda.
The city council’s economics committee plans to discuss the application this Tuesday. The department’s proposal for a decision states that Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) should instruct the management of Olympiapark München GmbH to cancel the planned concert and to terminate the contract immediately for good cause. Waters has five concerts planned in Germany in May.