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.”
On Monday, independent journalist Sam Husseini and AP reporter Matt Lee asked State Department spokesman Vedant Patel about Lipstadt’s comments.
“It’s an obvious attack on fascism, and yet your ambassador is denouncing it and pretending that Roger Waters, presumably because he defends Palestinian rights as well as other people’s rights, is an example of antisemitism. Are you going to distance yourself from this, or are you going to back down on this?” Husseini said.
Patel said he wasn’t aware of the situation, but the State Department gave Lee a written response on Tuesday and backed up Lipstadt’s smear of Waters.
“The concert in question, which took place in Berlin, contained imagery that is deeply offensive to Jewish people and minimized the Holocaust,” the department said. “The artist in question has a long track record of using antisemitic tropes to denigrate Jewish people.”
Disclosure: Antiwar.com has previously received donations from Roger Waters
Truly disgusting. Is there no slimy depth to which these party hacks will not sink to advance themselves? Forget shame, forget decency, have they no humanity?
None, zero, zilch. They’re psychopathic snipers. Assassins. It’s a basic job requirement. A job they enjoy. A job they’re good at. The Wall is a timeless antiwar masterpiece. My full awakening to the propaganda we were receiving here in the west. Prior to that, I was suspicious. The Wall removed all doubt.
What offends the Zionists is Water’s denigrating fascism not Semitism.
What offended the Zionists was the bestial pogroms carried out in Russia.
Do people actually go to shows to watch geriatric rockers?
This has to be the most publicity he has had in years.
I free trial spam music services (along with other streamers like the MLB; screw their want of $129;-) and Tidal, Deezer, nor my Pandora accounts have seen him as a favorite ever. Is he the only one still alive or are there any others still mobile?
If your z’s are really s’s and your s’s are really z’s, why do you continue to beat around the bush? Just spell it like it sounds.
I spell it as she spelled it (and pronounced it)
“Is he the only one still alive or are there any others still mobile?”
It was one of those bad breakup things — he and Gilmour have been trash-talking each other for decades now.
Old rockers are just Botoxed jokes.
I saw Vince Neil get all bitchy and cut his show short his first show after COVID allegdly because his voice went but it was more he wasn’t the headliner and the crowd got into his lead guitar’s doing Zappa (he was Zappa’s lead) then we were at old Poison stuff from him.
These Floyd guys have to be in their 70’s and likely are reveling in the buzz theve created for themselves.
“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.”
i.e. don’t judge all by your limited experience … old Waters is quite deep in his understanding.
Truth=antisemistism?
Yes Donna. Where gave you been the last 75 years?
I wasn’t born yet…
State Department is delusional…!
“It’s an obvious attack on fascism, and yet your ambassador is denouncing it and pretending that Roger Waters, presumably because he defends Palestinian rights as well as other people’s rights, is an example of antisemitism. Are you going to distance yourself from this, or are you going to back down on this?” Husseini said.
Gotta like this Husseini fellow. He bitch slapped Ned Price previously.
Yes, it was a great question … he probably will be banned from the room now.
The character is a megalomaniac rock star on the edge of losing his marbles and Roger has been playing him for 40 years! Why the sudden outrage now? Answers below…
Makes one want to revisit Lipstadt’s defeat of David Irving…??
Maybe they can harangue on Mel Brooks too. /s
Phucking disingenuous idiots.
Nonsense. Nobody bitched when he performed The Wall in Berlin when THE Wall came down. And now it’s as if nobody- ever, anywhere- has the right to criticize the government of Israel without it being conflated to a criticism of Jewish people. It’s really a shallow, transparent, and idiotic stretch of the imagination.
At the very least,there is gross insensitivity here.References to “Jewish lobby” and “puppet masters” reeks of the classic old canards. The star of David was a symbol of Judaism for 2500 years before the Zionist movement-showing a pig with a star of David is not cool.
‘