Roger Waters Credits Fans For Giving Him Hope Throughout Cancelation Attempts

Former Pink Floyd member, Roger Waters, continues to advocate for human rights in spite of the mounting controversy surrounding his political views. The musician’s recent tweet and statement at the start of his Hamburg concert further demonstrated his firm stance.

The controversy surrounding Waters reached a head in February when Frankfurt city council announced the cancellation of his May 28 concert at the Festhalle venue, a joint property with the state of Hesse, due to alleged antisemitism. The site has historical significance as a location where many Jewish people were subjected to violence during the Nazi pogrom in November 1938.

The cancellation was challenged by Waters’ legal representatives, who argued that the decision unlawfully curtailed his ‘artistic freedom.’ The Frankfurt Administrative Court sided with the musician last month, ruling that the council had indeed infringed on his rights. Efforts to shut down Roger Waters’ concerts in other German cities, such as Cologne, Munich, Berlin, and Hamburg, were also unsuccessful.

The musician recently began the German part of his European tour in Hamburg and performed for 6,500 fans. Despite the controversy surrounding the tour, no protests were reported at the venue. Waters took the opportunity at the start of his concert to publicly reject the accusations of antisemitism. He announced that a Frankfurt court had affirmed he is not an antisemite, a statement that garnered applause from the audience.

With a Twitter post after the show, Roger Waters also thanked supporters of the Palestinian cause who welcomed him to Cologne with a banner that thanked him for his advocacy. The rocker pledged to overcome ‘racist bullsh*t’ and expressed his determination to press on with his fight for human rights.

His words at the beginning of his Hamburg concert:

“A court in Frankfurt has ruled that I’m not an antisemite — excellent! To put it bluntly, I condemn antisemitism.”

Sharing a banner from his supporters, Waters wrote on Twitter:

“Thank you, guys, that means so much to me. The fight for basic human rights goes on. We shall overcome all the racist bullsh*t. “

As the tour continues, Waters’ unwavering stance on human rights issues remains evident, regardless of the controversy that comes along with it. In the following days, he will keep performing in Germany, with two upcoming shows in Berlin, one in Munich, and one in Frankfurt.