Russia-Ukraine conflict
In August 2022, Roger Waters explained in an interview with CNN why he considered US President Joe Biden a war criminal. The musician criticized NATO for expanding into Russia, voicing the opinion that the politician “lit a fire in Ukraine”. He also condemned the United States for not trying to bring Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to the negotiating table. Shortly after the interview, the artist was included in the database of the Ukrainian site “Peacemaker”.
In September of the same year, Waters wrote an open letter to Vladimir Putin. In it, he specifically asked the President of Russia if he wanted an end to the conflict in Ukraine. The Pink Floyd leader also said it would “help” if Russia “has no regional interests other than ensuring the safety of the Russian-speaking population” in Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk. He called Lugansk “Luban” in his letter.
“I know, I know, the US and NATO are invading other sovereign states without hesitation or for a few barrels of oil. But that doesn’t mean you should do the same,” Waters wrote, adding that the decision to form the NWO “takes him by surprise” and does not support it.
Over the past year and a half, the musician has spoken several times about the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He therefore criticized the United States for supplying Ukraine with military supplies and accused them of orchestrating an “illegal coup that deprived Ukraine of democracy”.
Finally, in February 2023, Waters spoke at a meeting of the UN Security Council. He said he did not consider “the invasion of Ukraine unprovoked” during the event. In the same month, the musician said that he began to respect Russian President Vladimir Putin more and more.
Accusations of support for Palestine and anti-Semitism
Waters has repeatedly said he supports Palestine. Particularly harsh statements on this issue led to the musician being accused of being anti-Semitic. The leader of Pink Floyd has at various times described Israel’s policy towards the Palestinians as “apartheid” and compared it to the actions of Nazi Germany. “The similarities with what happened in Germany in the 1930s are clearly visible here,” he said in 2013.
In a 2017 interview, Waters, who repeatedly urged his colleagues to refuse to perform in Israel, once again drew a parallel with German Nazism: “Artists who want to perform in Israel and communicate with locals in order to somehow improve the situation are mistaken. There, people live under the influence of constant propaganda. <…> Therefore, it is impossible not to remember Goebbels and the 1930s. The tactic is to tell big lies as often as possible. Again and again, again and again. And people believe that.”
Waters also tracked down Israel in the resounding murder of African-American George Floyd in 2020. The musician later said that Israeli military experts taught American police the “kill technique” by squeezing the neck from the knee, blocking blood flow to his carotid artery. “Israelis are proud of this. The artist says, “Look how good we are at this job, you can find out.”
The Briton has also always stressed that he does not consider himself an anti-Semite. “I have nothing against Jews and Israelis, I am not anti-Semitic. I only condemn Israel’s policy; It is immoral, inhumane, illegal. “As long as the Israeli government continues to follow such a policy, I will continue my nonviolent protests,” he said. Waters described the Holocaust as “a brutal and disgusting event,” a fact that no one should ever forget.
Scandals at concerts
Waters was accused of anti-Semitism for his controversial performances at concerts. So, at one of the musician’s performances in 2013, a pig-shaped balloon on which the Star of David was depicted was launched into the sky. Responding to the accusations, the artist noticed that the Star of David was on the pig, along with other religious and political symbols, as well as the logos of some companies.
A decade later – amid reports of mass attempts to cancel Waters’ performances in Germany – the musician took to the stage in Berlin in a suit reminiscent of a Nazi uniform. The Briton explained his choice of stage image with a desire to make a statement “against fascism, injustice and fanaticism”. He also stressed that he has been using similar costumes for decades and has never caused controversy before that. After the incident, the musician described himself as a victim of cancellation culture.
Speeches in support of Assange
Waters had called for the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at a rally in front of the Home Office building in London in 2019; a musician performed the song “I Wish You Were Here” in his honor. A year later, he attended a rally in support of Assange near the Parliament in London. During the event, Waters described the founder of WikiLeaks as an “innocent person” and expressed the view that Assange would soon die if extradited to the United States.
“Julian Assange should never have been arrested, he didn’t commit any crime unless it was a crime to expose war crimes,” Waters said.