BERLIN (AP) — Police in Berlin said Friday they have opened an investigation into Roger Waters on suspicion of sedition over a costume the Pink Floyd co-founder wore when he performed in the German capital last week.
Footage posted on social media showed Waters firing a mock machine gun while dressed in a long black coat with a red armband. Police confirmed that an investigation has been opened following suspicions that the context of the costume could constitute a glorification, justification or endorsement of the Nazi regime and thus a disturbance of public order.
Once the police investigation is complete, the case will be handed over to Berlin’s prosecutors, who will decide whether to prosecute.
Waters is outraged by his support for the BDS movement, which is calling for boycotts and sanctions against Israel. He has rejected allegations of anti-Semitism.
Authorities in Frankfurt tried to prevent a concert there scheduled for May 28, but Waters successfully challenged that move in a local court. In Munich, the city council said it had investigated the possibilities of banning a concert, but concluded that it was not legally possible to cancel a contract with the organizer. His performance there on Sunday was accompanied by a protest attended by the leader of the local Jewish community.
Last year, the Polish city of Krakow canceled performances by Waters because of his sympathetic attitude towards Russia in its war against Ukraine.
