by Our Foreign Desk

A RETIRED US police officer plans to perform a blackface concert in aid of six colleagues charged over the death of black man Freddie Gray in custody.

Bobby Berger, who was dismissed by the Baltimore police department in the 1980s over his Al Jolson impersonations but later won back his job and a $200,000 (£130,000) settlement, said on Wednesday that he had already sold 610 tickets to his November 1 performance at $45 (£29) a seat.

Mr Berger said in an interview he did not believe there was anything racist about his act.

“It’s coincidence. There’s no racial overtones to this show.”

But both the proposed venue and the accused officers’ lawyers distanced themselves from the event.

Planned venue Michael’s Eighth Avenue has posted a notice on its website saying the event would not be hosted there.

“No contract was signed with Mr Berger,” the notice said. “Michael’s does not condone blackface performances of any kind.”

Michael Davey, an attorney for the Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police, said that officers did not support the event and would not accept money raised at it.

He added that the six officers had been “put in a pretty bad position without their knowledge” by Mr Berger.

National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People Baltimore branch president Tessa Hill-Aston said the idea was “very distasteful.”

She said: “This is showing no sensitivity to the family of Freddie Gray.”