Tag: roger waters

Western leaders ‘only care about corrupt Nazis’ in Ukraine – Roger Waters

Western politicians are focused only on exploiting Ukraine’s far-right-allied government for personal and geopolitical gain and have no concern for the country’s ordinary citizens, musician and human-rights activist Roger Waters has said.

Speaking to RIA Novosti on Tuesday, the Pink Floyd co-founder accused senior Western officials, particularly in the UK, of helping to prolong the conflict with Russia. Waters argued that members of the political establishment are not expected to “do anything sensible” because they are primarily “out to fill their pockets.”

“Does [former UK Prime Minister] Boris Johnson or [current UK Prime Minister] Keir Starmer or [US President] Donald Trump care about… Ukrainian soldiers? No, of course they don’t,” he said.

”They don’t make any pretense that they care about them or anybody in Ukraine, except the corrupt Nazis who will help them strip the country of all its assets and stuff the money into their pockets. That’s what it’s about,” Waters added.

Johnson has been widely accused of pressuring Kiev in 2022 to reject a negotiated settlement with Moscow in favor of continuing the fight. The Guardian reported last month that after stepping down as prime minister, Johnson received a £1 million ($1.3 million) donation from businessman Christopher Harborne, a major shareholder in a UK defense firm who later joined him on a private trip to Kiev.

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‘Pink Floyd’ Frontman Roger Waters Could Face Up To 14 Years In Prison For Supporting Pro-Palestine Group Dubbed “Terrorist Organization” By UK Parliament

The Campaign Against Antisemitism is calling for “Pink Floyd” co-founder Roger Waters to be imprisoned after he posted a message earlier this month supporting the group Palestine Action, which was recently banned in the UK under anti-terrorism laws.

In Waters’ video, he claimed Palestine Action is a “nonviolent” and “great organization” comprised of people who are “absolutely not terrorists in any way.”

Waters, who is from Cambridge, England, showed a sign he made that read, “Parliament has been corrupted by agents of a genocidal foreign power. Stand up and be counted. It’s now!”

“This is the ‘I am Spartacus’ moment,” he wrote on social media, saying in the video, “I declare my independence from the government of the UK, who’ve just designated Palestine Action a terrorist, proscribed terrorist organization.”

The Campaign Against Antisemitism responded by calling for Waters to be jailed, writing, “Anyone expressing support for it contrary to section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000 commits a criminal offence. We stand ready to privately prosecute offenders in instances where an offence has been made out and the authorities fail to act.”

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Roger Waters reported to counter-terror police after declaring support for Palestine Action

Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters has been reported to counter-terror police after sharing a Facebook post declaring his unwavering support of Palestine Action – a day after it was officially proscribed as a terrorist organisation.

In the three-minute clip, posted to Waters’ Facebook page just hours after the ban came into effect, the 81-year-old stated: “I support Palestine Action. And I always will because that is the right thing to do.”

He also shared a hand-written sign he’d made, which read: “Roger Waters supports Palestine Action 5th July 2025. Parliament has been corrupted by agents of a genocidal foreign power. Stand up and be counted its now.”

The proscription came into force at midnight on the morning of July 5.

Speaking to the camera, Waters declared: “I am Spartacus. OK, this is Independence Day, July 5th 2025. I declare my independence from the government of the UK who have just designated Palestine Action a terrorist – a proscribed terrorist organisation.

“For the record I support Palestine Action. It’s a great organisation. They are non-violent. They are absolutely not terrorist in any way.

“They are a non-violent protesting organization, protesting the presence in the UK of Elbit Systems who are an Israeli arms manufacturing organization. Alright so that’s that. I support Palestine Action. And I always will because that is the right thing to do.”

Caroline Turner, director of UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), which reported Waters to counter-terrorism police, commented: “Palestine Action have been anything but a non-violent organisation, using sledgehammers to smash windows and machinery, and causing millions of pounds of damage over the past few years in order to intimidate the public and certain companies, and to advance their own ideological cause.

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ADL pushed BMG to drop Roger Waters by threatening to weaponize company’s Nazi past

The Grayzone has obtained a private letter authored by ADL director Jonathan Greenblatt threatening to weaponize the Nazi past of the BMG music company unless executives terminated a major deal with Roger Waters. BMG has publicly denied Israel lobby influence on its decision to nix Waters’ contract.

When the Berlin-based BMG music company terminated its business relationship with Roger Waters, the Pink Floyd co-founder claimed the decision was spurred by a concerted Israel lobby-directed campaign to financially retaliate against his outspoken support for Palestine. The Grayzone has obtained a threatening private letter sent by Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt to BMG executives which confirms the musician’s accusation.

“Given the fact that your parent company, Bertelsmann Group, has made laudable and necessary efforts to repair its Nazi past,” the ADL director warned in his June 16, 2023 letter, “it would be deeply unfortunate to have those efforts continue to be tarnished by such hurtful and injurious conduct.”

In an interview with The Grayzone, Waters described the ADL’s menacing missive as the culmination of a months-long intimidation campaign which began well before the October 7 attacks in Israel. The ADL’s push resulted not only in the termination of the company’s deal to release the new 50th anniversary recording of “The Dark Side of the Moon,” he said, but in the departure of BMG’s CEO as well.

“As far as attacks on me by the ADL and and all the rest of the lobby are concerned, the jury has been out for a long time, but it’s not out anymore,” Waters commented to The Grayzone. “The contention that I’m an antisemite because I’ve stood up against the attempted genocide of the indigenous people of Palestine is dead in the water. The people of the world have seen through the wall of hatred and tissue of lies.”

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Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters dropped by music publisher BMG over Israel comments

Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters has reportedly been dropped by music rights company Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) over his inflammatory remarks about Israel, Ukraine and the United States.

The news was reported by Variety, which notes that Waters’ antisemitic statements “infuriated his former bandmates, as they have driven off several suitors interested in acquiring the wizening band’s recorded-music catalog, which was said to be on the market for half a billion dollars.”

The Berlin-based company signed a deal with Waters, 80, back in 2016 and planned to release a newly re-recorded version of Pink Floyd’s seminal 1973 album ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ in 2023, but the new CEO Thomas Coesfeld dropped the contract. The album was eventually released by the UK label Cooking Vinyl.

Since the start of the Israel Hamas war, Rogers has made multiple remarks that have been deemed antisemitic, and has been the subject of multiple controversies in recent years.

Waters, a longtime supporter of Palestine and a critic of Israel, has vehemently denied these accusations, but caused uproar last year after wearing a “Nazi-style” uniform onstage in Berlin.

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ROGER WATERS ANSWERS THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST ANTISEMITISM

Earlier this month the Campaign Against Antisemitism contacted me about a film they have made. They gave me seven days to respond to multiple questions about matters dating back to 2002 and 2010. Initially I took the view that their attacks on my character did not deserve a response. However, now that the attacks are in circulation, I want to put my response on record.

All my life I have used the platform my career has given me to support causes I believe in. I passionately believe in Universal Human Rights. I have always worked to make the world a better, more just and more equitable place for all my brothers and sisters, all over the world, irrespective of their ethnicity, religion or nationality, from indigenous peoples threatened by the US oil industry to Iranian women protesting for their rights.

That is why I am active in the non-violent protest movement against the Israeli government’s illegal occupation of Palestine and its egregious treatment of Palestinians.

Those who wish to conflate that position with antisemitism do a great disservice to us all.

People need to know about the CAA, the organisation that made this film. Following complaints to the Charity Commission the CAA is facing scrutiny. Its core purpose is waging partisan political campaigns against critics of the state of Israel. So I knew their questions were not asked in good faith.

Truth is, I’m frequently mouthy and prone to irreverence, I can’t recall what I said 13 or more years ago. I’ve worked closely for many years with many Jewish people, musicians and others.  If I have upset the two individuals who appear in the film I’m sorry for that. But I can say with certainty that I am not, and have never been, an antisemite – as anyone who really knows me will testify. I know the Jewish people to be a diverse, interesting, and complicated bunch, just like the rest of humanity. Many are allies in the fight for equality and justice, in Israel, Palestine and around the world.

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State Department Falsely Accuses Roger Waters of Antisemitism

The State Department has falsely accused rock legend Roger Waters, a co-founder of Pink Floyd, of antisemitism over a recent performance in Germany.

Waters has come under criticism for a May 17 show in Berlin where he donned an outfit that resembled a Nazi uniform, part of a performance of the legendary Pink Floyd album “The Wall.”

In response to the criticism, Waters released a statement that said the elements of the show he was criticized for are “quite clearly a statement in opposition to fascism, injustice, and bigotry in all its forms.”

“Attempts to portray those elements as something else are disingenuous and politically motivated. The depiction of an unhinged fascist demagogue has been a feature of my shows since Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ in 1980,” Waters said.

Due to his history of being supportive of Palestinian rights and his critiques of the Israeli government, footage of Waters’ concert was taken out of context on social media in an effort to smear him as an antisemite. Deborah Lipstadt, the US special envoy to combat antisemitism, joined in on the smears on Twitter, accusing Waters of “despicable Holocaust distortion.”

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German Police Investigate Roger Waters Over Nazi-Like Costume

German police are investigating Roger Waters after the former Pink Floyd frontman wore a Nazi-inspired costume during his recent performance in Berlin.

The concert in question took place on May 17 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Waters, who has become a lightning rod of controversy thanks to his outspoken opposition of Israel, wore an SS-style uniform during his performance of “In the Flesh.” His attire included a long leather jacket, gloves and a seemingly Nazi-inspired red armband, which featured a crossed-hammers symbol, rather than a swastika.

As Waters performed, an inflatable pig – adorned with graffiti including a Star of David – floated above the audience. On large screens, the names of famous victims of persecution were shown, among them, Anne Frank.

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