Roger Waters believes he is the victim of a “extraordinary boycott based on malicious lies». EVARISTO SA / –
The former Pink Floyd co-founder and frontman says he has no choice but to stay in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he performed on Saturday and Sunday, and fly in on the day of his concerts on both sides of the Rio de la Plata. And at the same time refutes the anti-Semitic ideas attributed to him.
The British author, composer and performer Roger Waters stated in an interview with an Argentine newspaper that he could not find accommodation in the hotels in Montevideo and Buenos Aires where he had to give concerts, and denounced a boycott carried out by “the Israeli lobby” was cited.
The former Pink Floyd co-founder and leader, who just performed several concerts in Brazil as part of his “This Is Not a Drill” tour, is scheduled to perform in Montevideo on Friday and in Buenos Aires next Tuesday and Wednesday. But the 80-year-old British-born artist told the Argentine newspaper page 12 that he had no choice but to stay in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he performed on Saturdays and Sundays, and fly to either side of the Rio on the day of his Plata concerts. “Somehow these idiots from the Israel lobby managed to co-opt all the hotels in Buenos Aires and Montevideo and organize this extraordinary boycott based on malicious lies… about me.”he agreed page 12.
“Misogynistic, xenophobic and anti-Semitic”
Hotels in Montevideo were contacted by – and declined to comment. The presidents of the Jewish Central Committee of Uruguay, Roby Schindler, and the Jewish NGO B’Nai B’Rith, Franklin Rosenfeld, accused Roger Waters of being a “propagator” of Jewish hatred in the Uruguayan capital in letters at the Sofitel Hotel this week and will be broadcast on social networks. Roby Schindler called Roger Waters a “misogynistic, xenophobic and anti-Semitic”while Franklin Rosenfeld threatened to launch an anti-Sofitel campaign if the hotel hosted it “The Anti-Semitic Artist”.
“I haven’t had a single anti-Semitic thought in my entire life”defended Roger Waters page 12, and emphasized that his critics point to the actions of the Israeli government. The musician, who campaigned in defense of human rights in 2023, was surrounded by several controversies. At the United Nations, he condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but also those who provoked it.
Or at a controversial concert in Berlin, after which the US State Department expressed strong criticism “Anti-Semitic elements denigrate Jews”. Mr Waters defended himself “A message against fascism, injustice and bigotry in all its forms”. In recent years, the musician has also defended actions to boycott Israeli products in the name of defending the Palestinian cause.
The This Is Not a Drill Tour, which began in the United States in July 2022 before continuing in Europe, concludes December 9 in Ecuador after final performances in Chile, Peru, Costa Rica and Colombia.
