Hotels in Argentina and Uruguay reportedly rejected reservations for Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters over accusations of antisemitism leveled at the British singer known for his pro-Palestinian views.
Most recently, Waters said the terror group Hamas were ‘morally bound to resist occupation’ on October 7 and accused Israel of ‘making up stories’ about the terror attack.
Waters was due to stay in Argentina’s capital of Buenos Aires ahead of shows scheduled for November 21-22 as part of his ‘This is Not a Drill’ tour, but the reservations fell through, with hotels citing a lack of availability, the Argentine newspaper Pagina 12 reported.
Hotels in Montevideo, in neighboring Uruguay, also refused to host him but did not provide a reason, a story on Wednesday quoted Waters as saying.
The singer said that as a result he was still in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he performed a few days ago.
Hotels in Argentina and Uruguay reportedly rejected reservations for Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters over accusations of antisemitism leveled at the British singer known for his pro-Palestinian views
‘I had a dinner date on the 16th with José Mujica, the former president of Uruguay, who is a friend of mine. And I can´t go … because the Israeli lobby and whatever they call themselves have canceled me,’ Waters told Pagina 12.
The president of the Central Israelite Committee of Uruguay, Roby Schindler, sent a letter to the Sofitel hotel urging it not to host Waters, Pagina 12 said.
Waters ‘takes advantage of his fame as an artist to lie and spew his hatred towards Israel and all Jews,’ Schindler said, according to Pagina 12.
‘By receiving him, you will be, even if you do not want to, propagating the hatred that this man exudes,’ Schindler added.
Waters has been dogged by accusations of antisemitism for years, including criticism by the U.S. government earlier this year.
The State Department said Waters has ‘a long track record of using antisemitic tropes to denigrate Jewish people.’
Speaking to Pagina 12, he vehemently denied that. ‘They do it because I believe in human rights, and I speak openly about the genocide of the Palestinian people,’ Waters said.
The musician, 80, stoked controversy over the summer by wearing a ‘Nazi-style’ coat to his concerts, leading to him being investigated by German police following a gig in Berlin.
Roger Waters performs during a live concert in Assago, near Milan, Italy, Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Speaking on the Rumble podcast System Update with Glenn Greenwald – the aged rocker said there was ‘something very fishy’ about Israel not realizing Hamas were invading.
Waters – who said he was ‘an opponent of the whole Zionist exercise’ went on to question the atrocities committed by Hamas – saying the terrorist organization were ‘absolutely legally and morally bound to resist’.
Waters said: ‘We don’t know what they did do, but was it justified for them to resist the occupation? Yeah!
‘But again it’s the Geneva convention – they are absolutely legally and morally bound to resist the occupation since 1967. It’s an obligation.’
He continued: ‘As I said in a statement after it, if war crimes were committed I condemn them.
‘They have finally come out with figures of how many people were actually killed, who they were, on that day.
‘Probably the first 400 were Israeli military personnel – that is not a war crime.
‘Of course I don’t condemn that but the thing was thrown out of all proportion by the Israelis making up stories about beheading babies.’
Speaking on the Rumble podcast System Update with Glenn Greenwald (pictured) – the aged rocker said there was ‘something very fishy’ about Israel not realising Hamas were invading
Supporters of the Jewish community demonstrated outside The O2 Arena in June before Mr Waters performed (pictured)
He was back wearing the controversial outfit again as he performed in London
The host claimed Waters had been targeted with ‘character smears and attacks’ – suggesting it is because he has ‘expressed views that are threatening to people in power’.
The guitarist claimed accusations of antisemitism had come across ‘because they have no answer to the argument.’
He continued: ‘You cannot defend the state of Israel in the genocide that is going on today and tomorrow and the day after in Gaza.
‘It shows that you at least have a platform and that people listen to it – and it is one that they [politicians] do not want people to hear.
Waters allegedly sang that his agent was a ‘f***ing Jew’ in an improvised song, according to an account from the rocker’s ex-producer in an explosive documentary exploring claims that he has made antisemitic remarks.
Ezrin appears in The Dark Side of Roger Waters, a new documentary produced by the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) – months after Waters appeared on stage in a Nazi-esque trench coat with a red armband as part of his most recent tour.
In further allegations the documentary was claimed he made antisemitic remarks such as ‘dirty k***’ and ‘Jew food’.
The host of the podcast claimed Waters had been targeted with ‘character smears and attacks’ – suggesting it is because he has ‘expressed views that are threatening to people in power’
Mr Rogers (pictured) reportedly pretended to shoot the crowd with an imitation machine gun during his hit songs In The Flesh and Run Like Hell
Many protested outside the 02 Arena ahead of the London performance
He also allegedly mocked a Jewish musician’s grandmother who died in the Holocaust.
Speaking about the October 7 invasion on the podcast he continued: ‘Let’s wait and see what happens, was my first reaction.
‘My second reaction was: “How the hell did the Israelis not know this was going to happen?”
‘And I’m still a little bit down that rabbit hole – didn’t the Israeli army hear the bangs when they blew up whatever they had to blow up to get across the border?
‘There’s something very fishy about that’.
Further allegations against Waters said he wanted a giant floating pig at his concerts emblazoned with the Star of David and offensive slogans.
In an email, allegedly sent by Waters in 2010, he appears to suggest to his backstage team that the pig should be made with ‘dirty k***’, ‘follow the money’ and ‘scum’ written on the sides.
The word ‘k***’ is a notoriously offensive word used to denigrate Jews, while the money reference is a classic anti-Jewish trope, says the new film.
A demonstrator outside the O2 Arena before Roger Waters’ performance on June 6
Waters – who said he was ‘an opponent of the whole Zionist exercise’ went on to question the atrocities committed by Hamas in the documentary – saying the terrorist organisation were ‘absolutely legally and morally bound to resist’
He compared Anne Frank to Abu Akleh, an Al Jazeera journalist who was fatally shot last year while covering an Israeli Defense Forces raid on a Palestinian refugee camp
The pig was eventually made without these terms, but with the Star of David and dollar signs, and has been a feature of Waters’ concerts.
Sir Keir Starmer said his party ‘fully condemns’ Mr Waters for having ‘clearly espoused antisemitic views’. The Labour leader suggested that shows by the rocker should be called off in order to block him from spreading his ‘troubling’ beliefs.
Mr Gove, the Levelling Up Secretary, claimed the former Pink Floyd bassist was ‘falling short’ of an expectation that those with a significant public profile ‘behave responsibly and do not abuse their platform’.
It came after the Board of Deputies of British Jews wrote to senior politicians warning of concerns among Jewish communities in cities where the musician is scheduled to tour.
Speaking about the documentary, Campaign Against Antisemitism’s chief executive Gideon Falter said: ‘Roger Waters has repeatedly used his enormous platform to bait Jews, but he always claims that he is not antisemitic.
‘We believed that there was further evidence out there to the contrary, and the release of The Dark Side of Roger Waters now puts the evidence we obtained in the hands of the public.
‘Is Roger Waters an antisemite? Now people can make up their own minds.’
In his concerts and on social media, Waters makes clear his criticism of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, insisting this is his motivation rather than any antisemitism.
He says in video clips, repeated in Mr Ware’s new documentary: ‘I’m an antisemite? Are you insane?’ and ‘Clearly I don’t have an antisemitic bone in my body; I never have, I’ve never done anything antisemitic; I’ve never said anything antisemitic.’
In others clips, Waters says: ‘The notion that I am antisemitic is ludicrous. This is something that is aimed at anybody who tries to raise their voice against the policies of the current very right-wing, settler-based Israeli government,’ and also: ‘If we shout the lie loud enough – “Roger Waters is an anti-Semite” we’ll get people to believe it. Well, no you won’t – because it is a lie.’
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