U.S. weighs in on Roger Waters antisemitism debate, says artist has lengthy historical past of denigrating Jews

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is weighing in on the controversy over Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters, saying his latest performances in Germany had been antisemitic, an evaluation shared by many in Israel and the pro-Israel neighborhood.

The State Department stated Tuesday that Waters has “a long track record of using antisemitic tropes” and a live performance he gave late final month in Germany “contained imagery that is deeply offensive to Jewish people and minimized the Holocaust.”

The feedback got here in a written response to a query posed at Monday’s State Department press briefing about whether or not the administration agreed with criticism of Rogers from the U.S. particular envoy to fight antisemitism, Deborah Lipstadt.

“Special Envoy Lipstadt’s quote-tweet speaks for itself,” the division stated.

“The concert in question, which took place in Berlin, contained imagery that is deeply offensive to Jewish people and minimized the Holocaust,” the division stated. “The artist in question has a long track record of using antisemitic tropes to denigrate Jewish people.”

In a May 24 tweet after the live performance in Berlin, throughout which Waters appeared on stage in a fancy dress paying homage to Nazi-era Germany, Lipstadt denounced the musician by echoing feedback from EU antisemitism envoy Katharina von Schnurbein, who’s German.

“I wholeheartedly concur with @EUAntisemitism ’s condemnation of Roger Waters and his despicable Holocaust distortion,” Lipstadt wrote in reply to a tweet from von Schnurbein.

Von Schnurbein had taken problem with Waters’ efficiency in Berlin in addition to his earlier feedback associated to Israel and the Holocaust.

“I am sick & disgusted by Roger Waters’ obsession to belittle and trivialize the Shoah & the sarcastic way in which he delights in trampling on the victims, systematically murdered by the Nazis,” von Schnurbein wrote. “In Germany. Enough is enough.”

Shortly after the live performance, police in Berlin stated they’d opened an investigation of Waters on suspicion of incitement over the costume he wore.

Images on social media confirmed Waters firing an imitation machine gun whereas wearing a protracted black coat with a pink armband. Police confirmed that the costume might represent a glorification, justification or approval of Nazi rule and due to this fact a disturbance of the general public peace.

Waters rejected these accusations in a press release on Facebook and Instagram, saying “the elements of my performance that have been questioned are quite clearly a statement in opposition to fascism, injustice, and bigotry in all its forms.”