Roger Waters is once again in trouble. In the run-up to his shows at the London Palladium (October 8th and 9th) in the Soho district, the British-based pressure group “Campaign Against Antisemitism” is putting a lot of pressure on him. She tries to convince the owners of the renowned musical theater, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, and the organizer Live Nation to cancel the performances.
In this context, the organization, founded in 2014, released a documentary with the striking title “The Dark Side of Roger Waters”. This deals with the numerous allegations of anti-Semitism against the co-founder of Pink Floyd.
Waters himself explains that the filmmakers recently asked him for comment, but he declined. He has now commented on this in a long post on his social media channels.
Its tenor: A threadbare, biased work.
“All my life I have supported things that I believe in. I believe passionately in universal human rights. I have always been committed to making the world a better, fairer and more equal place for all my brothers and sisters around the world, regardless of their ethnicity, religion or nationality, from indigenous peoples to those affected by the US oil industry to be threatened. “Right down to Iranian women protesting for their rights,” was his universal preface.
And further:
“That is why I am involved in the non-violent protest movement against the Israeli government’s illegal occupation of Palestine and its egregious treatment of the Palestinians. Those who wish to associate this position with anti-Semitism are doing us all a disservice…”
The fronts seem hardened. The producer of “The Dark Side of Roger Waters” Bob Ezrin says he overheard Waters calling band agent Bryan Morrison a “fucking Jew” on the sidelines of a gig. Elsewhere, saxophonist Norbert Schwanz, who played for Waters, claims that the musician angrily refused food at a restaurant that he allegedly described as “Jewish food.” He also claimed that Waters made fun of his family, some of whom were killed in the Holocaust, by imitating them.
In the words of Waters’ statement it sounds like this:
“The truth is that I often have a big mouth and a tendency to be disrespectful. I can’t remember what I said 13 or more years ago. I have worked closely with many Jewish people, musicians and others, for many years.”
Looking at the specific allegations:
“If I upset the two characters in the film, I’m sorry. But I can say with certainty that I am not and never have been an anti-Semite – as anyone who really knows me will attest. I know that the Jewish people are 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. But this film completely distorts and misrepresents my views on the Israeli state and its political ideology, Zionism!”
His conclusion:
This film is a threadbare and malicious work of propaganda that randomly mixes things “that I am said to have said or done at different times and in different contexts in order to portray myself as an anti-Semite.”
The filmmakers have not yet responded to Waters’ statements.
The focus of the current outrage was also his appearance in the arena at Berlin’s Ostbahnhof, during which he marched across the stage in a black military coat with a red armband in the second half of his set. Those familiar with the subject recognized a character from Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” who conjured up a fictional fascist dictator within a dream sequence. The author of these lines was present at the show.
In the wide circle of the multi-purpose hall, Waters’ coat number was perceived as part of the bombastic dramaturgy. It caused no noticeable reaction from the fan audience.
Waters himself says that his stage performance should be interpreted as a statement against fascism, injustice and bigotry, and describes the criticism of it as “disingenuous and politically motivated”.
The US Special Representative for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism, Deborah Lipstadt, described this part of the live show as a “Holocaust distortion” and shared a report on News Service “X” in which the European Commission’s anti-Semitism coordinator speaks out against Waters: “The artist in question has a long track record of using anti-Semitic stanzas that denigrate Jewish people.”
One gets the impression that the central disputes are being waged between committees with specialist expertise and an 80-year-old stubborn person who, with all his opportunities for global communication, is relentlessly insisting on his position. As was the case during his European tour, it is unlikely that local authorities will ban Waters’ London shows. From a legal perspective, the case remains in a gray area of morality and freedom of expression.