Frankfurt/Main (dpa/lhe) – The city of Frankfurt and the Hessian state government want to cancel a concert by singer Roger Waters, who is controversial because of anti-Semitic statements, in the Festhalle. The trade fair, which rents the festival hall and in which the city has a 60 percent stake and the state has a 40 percent stake, should announce the termination of the contract.
The magistrate decided on Friday, in agreement with the state government, to instruct the trade fair management by shareholder resolution to cancel the concert planned for May 28 and to “exercisely terminate the contract immediately for good cause”.
The move is justified by the former Pink Floyd frontman’s “continued anti-Israel behavior”. He has repeatedly called for a cultural boycott of Israel. A balloon in the shape of a pig with images of the Star of David was part of previous stage shows. In Frankfurt, the place is also preloaded. After the pogrom night in 1938, Jewish men were brought to the festival hall, abused and later deported to concentration camps.
“The magistrate therefore feels called upon to send a clear signal against anti-Semitism that is supported by society as a whole,” the city said on Friday. However, this is a case-by-case decision and not a precedent.
As part of the tour, five concerts are planned in Germany in May. There are also calls for the concerts to be canceled in Berlin, Munich and Cologne. However, lawyers consider bans on performance to be difficult to enforce.
