It's become a fact that Roger Waters had a pig emblazoned with the Star of David at his gig in Berlin.
It has been used by MPs to call for his shows to be pulled, featured in headlines in the Daily Mail, repeated by the BBC etc.
Except, he didn't. Here is the pig in Berlin:
It has been used by MPs to call for his shows to be pulled, featured in headlines in the Daily Mail, repeated by the BBC etc.
Except, he didn't. Here is the pig in Berlin:
The inflatable pig is a reference to the album cover of Pink Floyd's Animals, which showed a pig flying above Battersea Power Station. That, in turn, was a reference to George Orwell's Animal Farm, which depicted pigs as tyrannical rulers.
The inflatable pig has been a feature of Roger Waters' shows for years. Each iteration has different symbols on it. In 2013, the pig featured the Jewish Star of David, the Muslim crescent and star, and the Christian crucifix, presumably in a statement against organised religion.
It may be gratuitous to use symbols of Judaism and Islam on a pig, but it didn't happen in 2023. The idea it did took hold when an image of the 2013 pig was shared in the context of Waters' latest show in Berlin. This tweet seems to be the one that spread it, with big engagement.
Subsequent tweets stated explicitly that the pictured pig featuring the Star of David was from the Berlin show, which was false.
Mainstream media outlets then asserted that the pig had featured the Star of David at the Berlin concert.
"Inflatable pig emblazoned with Star of David floats over crowd," said the former Hitler-supporting Daily Mail. The Metro, along with many others, featured the picture.
"Inflatable pig emblazoned with Star of David floats over crowd," said the former Hitler-supporting Daily Mail. The Metro, along with many others, featured the picture.
Tory-turned-Labour MP Christian Wakeford claimed in parliament that, in Berlin, Waters had "used the Star of David on a giant pig to insinuate that Jewish people run the world." He wrote to the AO Arena in Manchester urging them to pull Waters' gig there.
The BBC then reported on Wakeford's call, repeating his false assertion.
What's amazing about all this is that there are multiple videos of the full Berlin concert on YouTube, meaning any media outlet, especially one with the resources of the BBC, could very easily have checked.
What's amazing about all this is that there are multiple videos of the full Berlin concert on YouTube, meaning any media outlet, especially one with the resources of the BBC, could very easily have checked.
As for the main accusation against Waters, that he dressed up as an SS officer as an antisemitic statement (when he was in character as Pink from The Wall, who descends into fascist delusions), it's too stupid to engage with.
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