Roger Waters’ ‘The Wall’ show accused of being anti-Semitic

Anti-Defamation League claims the show uses imagery associated with Jewish stereotypes

Roger Waters‘ 30th anniversary show of Pink Floyd‘s ‘The Wall’ has been accused of anti-Semitism.

The allegations come from the Anti-Defamation League, who claim the stage show uses imagery associated with stereotypes about Jews and money.

In particular, the claims point out that during the performance of the song ‘Goodbye Blue Sky’, an animated projection shows aeroplanes dropping bombs in the shapes of Jewish Stars of David followed by dollar signs, although various other religious and corporate symbols are also depicted.

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“It is outrageous that Roger Waters has chosen to use the juxtaposition of a Jewish Star of David with the symbol of dollar signs,” Abraham Foxman, the Anti-Defamation League director said in a statement.

“While he insists that his intent was to criticise Israel’s West Bank security fence, the use of such imagery in a concert setting seems to leave the message open to interpretation, and the meaning could easily be misunderstood as a comment about Jews and money.”

He continued: “Of course, Waters has every right to express his political views about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through his music and stagecraft. However, the images he has chosen, when put together in the same sequence, cross a line into anti-Semitism.”

Fan-shot footage of the song and stage projection are online and can be seen below.

Roger Waters, who is currently on the US leg of his world tour of ‘The Wall’, will bring the show to the UK and Ireland in May and June 2011.


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