Three London rabbis have called on the O2 Arena to reconsider its decision to allow Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters to perform after he wore a Nazi-style uniform on stage in Berlin.
The 79-year-old musician sparked a backlash after donning a black trench coat decorated with red armbands and metal insignia on his collar, reminiscent of an SS officer, as an inflatable pig emblazoned with the Star of David floated above the audience.
Three Reich-style banners also hung above Mr Waters in the Mercedes-Benz Arena during the controversial concert on Thursday, May 25.
Several rabbis have now called on the O2 to rethink its decision to allow him to perform in the capital next week.
Gideon Falter, the Chief Executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, told LBC that Mr Waters “seems to go out of his way to say things which are basically baiting the Jewish community” and accused him of “constantly goading us”.
Rabbi Schochet, from the Mill Hill synagogue, added: “When you have magistrates in Germany trying to cancel his concert, you have to wonder why an earth they O2 are trying to entertain him here in the UK.”
His concerns were echoed by Rabbi Levi Shapiro, from the Jewish Community Council, who said it was “very concerning that he will be using some of the most prestigious stages in the UK to perform”.
He added that the concert could “have a direct impact on the Jewish community” and said there are questions to be answered from the O2 and other venues who allow him to perform.
A third Rabbi, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “Many Jewish people will feel uncomfortable and even scared at the unpredictable nature of someone like Mr Waters performing.”
Sadiq Khan has also met with O2 Arena officials to express his concern over the upcoming concert.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “The Mayor’s team have recently met with AEG Europe, the O2 arena venue operator, to express the concerns and issues raised by the Jewish community”.
They added that Mr Khan “fully understands the significant concerns from within the Jewish community and condemns the use of antisemitism imagery”.
A spokesperson for the O2 Arena said the venue “hosts a variety of performers. Any views they express before, during, or after appearing are uniquely their own.”
Germany’s Orthodox Jewish association has called for a ban on Mr Waters performing in Germany, but the rocker denied he was anti-Semitic and said he was speaking out against Israeli politics.
At the concert in Berlin, a screen behind Mr Waters displayed the names of Anne Frank and Shireen Abu Akleh, an Al Jazeera journalist who was fatally shot last year while covering an Israeli raid on a Palestinian refugee camp.
At one point, he even pretended to fire a machinegun into the crowd in his Nazi-inspired uniform. Mr Waters also sang Lay Down Jerusalem (If I Had Been God) while the screen behind him flashed “F$%& the occupation”.
The controversial concert came after Mr Waters won a legal battle to perform in Germany. Mr Waters began the concert in Berlin with an announcement on screen reading: “On a matter of public interest: a court in Frankfurt has ruled I am not an anti-Semite. Just to be clear, I condemn anti-Semitism unreservedly.”
Mr Waters has been contacted for comment.
