Roger Waters SS outfit is being investigated by Berlin police

Following his appearance in an SS uniform during a concert last week in the German capital, Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters was the subject of an inquiry, Berlin police announced on Friday. 

Berlin Police spokesman Martin Halweg was cited by the AFP as saying, "We are investigating on suspicion of inciting public hatred because the clothing worn on stage could be used to glorify or justify Nazi rule, disturbing the public peace." 

Halweg reportedly added, "The clothing looks like SS officer gear." 

According to local journalists, during Waters' performance on May 17 at Germany's Mercedes-Benz Arena, a screen displayed the words, "The show will start in 10 minutes and a court in Frankfurt has ruled that I am not an antisemite." "Just to be clear, I condemn antisemitism without reservation," it continued. 

But during the break in the performance, Waters entered the stage donning an SS officer's costume, complete with a red armband and a dummy firearm. Behind him, an inflatable pig with Third Reich-style banners bearing crossed hammers in place of swastikas hovered above the throng. 

Additionally, screens showed the names of a number of people who were allegedly slain by state actors, including Mahsa Amini, an Iranian lady whose death while in the custody of the "morality police" prompted widespread demonstrations, anti-Nazi campaigner Sophie Scholl, and George Floyd.  

The State of Israel's official Twitter account posted on Wednesday, "Good morning to everyone except Roger Waters who spent the evening desecrating the memory of Anne Frank and the 6 million Jews slaughtered in the Holocaust. 

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre also denounced the incident and urged the German government to hold Waters accountable for using and distorted Holocaust photos. 

The Centre for Jewish Culture and Research tweeted, "Shame on Frankfurt authorities and Mercedes Benz arena in Berlin — a city from where Jews were deported by the Nazis — for offering anti-Semite #RogerWaters this venue for his concert with no concern/care for the Jewish community. 

"Will Germany prosecute #RogerWaters for Holocaust distortion or will promoters rush to book the anti-Semite for more lurid 3-D anti-Israel + #Antisemitic hatefests masquerading as concerts?" it continued. 

In the past, Waters has come under fire and criticism for remarks that some have deemed to be antisemitic insults on both Israel and Judaism. In 2013, Waters pulled out a similar prank by donning a Nazi armband, brandishing a toy machine gun, and utilising a balloon in the shape of a pig that carried the Star of David and emblems of other autocratic governments. Abraham Foxman, the national head of the Anti-Defamation League, denounced his behaviour in 2016. 

Waters has also decried the Russia-Ukraine conflict, alleging that "extreme nationalists" in Ukraine provoked Russia to start the conflict. Because of the response following that accusation, Waters postponed her performances in Poland.