14 DAY TRIAL // British rocker and former Libertines frontman Pete Doherty has disgraced himself with organizers of the on3 music festival in Munich, but also with fans in Germany, after he got on stage and sang a Nazi anthem, the Telegraph reports. Apparently under the influence, Doherty was forced by the organizers to leave the stage after the fifth song.
Doherty, who has a well-documented history of drug and alcohol abuse, got on stage at the music festival to the applause of fans gathered there. He started to warm up the crowd with a “customized” version of “Hit the Road Jack” and then moved on to sing “Deutschland, Deutschland über alles,” which was used as a national anthem under the Third Reich. Fans immediately started to boo and heckle him, yelling at him to leave the stage.
“An outraged crowd at the on3 music festival in Munich began booing and shouting, but Doherty carried on singing five more songs before festival organizers ushered him from the stage. The concert was also being broadcast live on Bavarian radio. Broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk cut the broadcast as soon as Doherty, a surprise guest at the music festival, began his song. “Deutschland über alles” is the first verse of “Deutschlandlied,” a song written by Joseph Haydn in 1797. The third verse of “Deutschlandlied” is used as the current German national anthem, and has the same tune as “Deutschland über alles,” the Telegraph says.
After the fifth song, as the crowd continued to boo Doherty, the organizers had to send someone in to ask him to leave. Reports in the media say he was so displeased with the request he actually threw his microphone at the host before leaving. Authorities in Germany have told the British media Doherty could be prosecuted for “defamation” of the national anthem, which is a crime under the Criminal Code (Strafgesetzbuch).
As Doherty continues with his European tour, his management has released a statement to set the record straight, saying that the rocker had no idea of the controversy surrounding the tune. “He was unaware of the controversy surrounding the German national anthem and deeply apologizes if he has caused any offence. Peter himself is from Jewish descent and has fought against racism and fascism with numerous organizations including Love Music, Hate Racism. This is a subject he feels very strongly about,” the statement from camp Doherty says.