Roger Waters vows to take legal action after concert axed amid antisemitism claims

Editor Stephen Hill 16th March 2023

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 2023 as part of his This Is Not A Drill European tour.  

However, Frankfurt city council and the Hessian state government to the discission 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 and he has described the cancellation as a "blatant attempt to silence him".  

However Frankfurt City Council also issued a statement stating : "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

The bassist has 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 reported  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