Civil Society Alliance: Cancellation of Roger Waters concert in the Festhalle was essential

[The German Press Release / Presseerklärung & further protest resources can be found HERE.]

The city of Frankfurt, as well as the State of Hesse, deserve praise and thanks for their groundbreaking and courageous decision not to allow antisemitism and the violation of human dignity in the Frankfurt Festhalle. Combating antisemitism in Frankfurt means more than just dutiful speeches on historical commemorative occasions. This was the time to turn words into deeds – especially with regard to historically prejudiced spaces such as the Festhalle – and we were not disappointed.

We expressly welcome the decision to instruct the Messe management by shareholders‘ resolution to cancel Roger Waters‘ concert in Frankfurt. The representatives of the City and the State have sent a clear and unequivocal signal that antisemitism in whatever form has no place in Frankfurt. Particularly in view of the location of the concert – the Festhalle, from which around 3,000 Jewish men were deported to concentration camps in 1938 – a cancellation was inevitable.

A well-known antisemite, conspiracy theorist and Israel-hater like Roger Waters must not be given a stage – not in Frankfurt and not anywhere else. The former Pink Floyd member uses antisemitic stereotypes in his stage events. In the past, stars of David were associated with dollar signs, among other things. Stars of David were also placed on inflatable pigs, which were usually symbolically destroyed at the end of the concerts to the cheers of the audience. The current program „This Is Not A Drill“ is explicitly meant to represent Waters‘ political program which degrades and defames Jewish people. The City and State have now given a clear rejection to this.

The fact that the Festhalle with its history could be rented out at all for such an antisemitic stage spectacle in the first place, shows that there is still an urgent need for action. To this effect, we call on both the City and the State to create a legal framework for the future, which will prevent contracts with antisemitic agitators and conspiracy theorists from making it to the signing stage in future. Of course, the same applies at the federal level. Furthermore, more sensitivity must be created for places of perpetration, where people were humiliated, degraded and disenfranchised. Events in Frankfurt’s Festhalle must take this into account in future. We therefore propose that a working group be set up to develop proposals for a dignified commemoration of the victims. We are also happy to work on this.

As a civil society alliance consisting of Jewish and non-Jewish organizations, institutions and associations, it is important for us to point out that antisemitism concerns us all. Jews must not be left alone in the fight against any form of antisemitism. In this sense, together with our nationwide alliance partners, we hope that Frankfurt will be taken as a role model for the remaining venues and that cancellations there will also follow promptly.

No hate and no incitement. No to antisemitism, defamation and contempt for humanity.
No stage for Roger Waters in Germany!

Collected resources concerning our protest can be found here:
http://waters-go-home.honestly-concerned.org

If you have any questions, representatives of the alliance will be happy to answer them under the email address
roger-waters-nicht-willkommen@t-online.de.

Initiative members of the alliance are:

• Association of Jewish Students Hesse (VJSH)
• B’nai B’rith Frankfurt Schönstädt Lodge e. V.
• German-Israeli Society e.V., Frankfurt working group
• Honestly Concerned e. V.
• ILI – I Like Israel e. V.
• Jewish Community Frankfurt K. d. ö. R.
• TUS Makkabi 2021 e.V. Taunus
• Young Forum Frankfurt German-Israeli Society e.V. (JUFO)
• Simone Hofmann, activist, member of various committees
• Dr. Orna von Fürstenberg, member of the local council of the Jewish Community Frankfurt
• And others…
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