Last week, a new documentary called The Dark Side of Roger Waters – which examines the Pink Floyd bassist/vocalist’s history of antisemitism – was published online by Campaign Against Antisemitism. Unsurprisingly, Waters has now admonished the film as “a flimsy, unapologetic piece of propaganda that indiscriminately mixes things I’m alleged to have said or done . . . in an effort to portray me as an antisemite, without any foundation in fact.”
Waters took to his official website this past Friday (Sept. 29) to formally rebuke the film. He wrote:
Earlier this month the Campaign Against Antisemitism contacted me about a film they have made. They gave me seven days to respond to multiple questions about matters dating back to 2002 and 2010. Initially I took the view that their attacks on my character did not deserve a response. However, now that the attacks are in circulation, I want to put my response on record.
All my life I have used the platform my career has given me to support causes I believe in. I passionately believe in Universal Human Rights. I have always worked to make the world a better, more just and more equitable place for all my brothers and sisters, all over the world, irrespective of their ethnicity, religion or nationality, from indigenous peoples threatened by the US oil industry to Iranian women protesting for their rights.
That is why I am active in the non-violent protest movement against the Israeli government’s illegal occupation of Palestine and its egregious treatment of Palestinians.
Those who wish to conflate that position with antisemitism do a great disservice to us all.
People need to know about the CAA, the organisation that made this film. Following complaints to the Charity Commission the CAA is facing scrutiny. Its core purpose is waging partisan political campaigns against critics of the state of Israel. So I knew their questions were not asked in good faith.
Truth is, I’m frequently mouthy and prone to irreverence, I can’t recall what I said 13 or more years ago. I’ve worked closely for many years with many Jewish people, musicians and others. If I have upset the two individuals who appear in the film I’m sorry for that. But I can say with certainty that I am not, and have never been, an antisemite – as anyone who really knows me will testify. I know the Jewish people to be 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.
The film totally distorts and misrepresents my views about the Israeli state and its political ideology, Zionism. It relies on a definition of antisemitism that sees criticising Israel as inherently antisemitic and assumes that Zionism is an essential element in Jewish identity. These opinions, clearly shared by the presenter and the two interviewees, are widely contested by many, including many Jewish people.
The CAA film manipulates footage and quotations to serve its agenda and is seriously misleading in many respects. What it says about my latest tour, This Is Not A Drill, repeats a series of falsehoods that have already been debunked, many times, not just by me, but in the German courts, after attempts were made to have my show banned there. The offensive words I referenced in quotes in an email 13 years ago, were my brainstorming ideas on how to make the evils and horrors of fascism and extremism apparent and shocking to a generation that may not fully appreciate the ever-present threat. They are not the manifestation of any underlying bigotry as the film suggests. Quite the opposite. I have been trying to expose the evils of fascism ever since learning of my father’s death fighting fascists in World War II.
In summary, the film is a flimsy, unapologetic piece of propaganda that indiscriminately mixes things I’m alleged to have said or done at different times and in different contexts, in an effort to portray me as an antisemite, without any foundation in fact.
READ MORE: Roger Waters’ Colleagues Back Up Antisemitism Claims in New Documentary
As of this writing, neither the filmmakers nor CAA as a whole have responded to his latest claims.
However, on Sept. 29, the official Campaign Against Antisemitism Facebook page announced that they’ve “written to the venue and organiser” of Waters’ upcoming shows at the London Palladium (on Oct. 8 and 9), “calling on them to cancel the performances.” The same day, they tweeted that they “will be taking action outside the @LondonPalladium. Details coming soon.”
As Loudwire has previously noted, The Dark Side of Roger Waters features numerous colleagues and other associates validating claims of Waters’ antisemetism. In addition, the documentary is far from the first time the major accusation has been made (publically or otherwise).
Back in February 2023, for instance, Polly Samson – wife of Pink Floyd guitarist/vocalist David Gilmour – tweeted that Waters is “antisemitic to [his] very core” (among other things). Hours later, Gilmour himself retweeted it, adding: “Every word demonstrably true.”
Around the same time, one of Waters’ concerts in Germany was canceled, with the city reprimanding him as “one of the world’s most well-known antisemites.” Subsequently, he contested the decision and – following his successful court case – ended up playing there anyway.
Then, in May 2023, German officials launched an investigation into him wearing his famous “In the Flesh?” costume (from The Wall) during a performance at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin. (It’s against the law to recreate Nazi imagery and associated movements in Germany.) Shortly thereafter, Waters responded to the controversy.
Even the U.S. government got involved, with the State Department later stating: “The concert in question, . . . contained imagery that is deeply offensive to Jewish people and minimized the Holocaust. The artist in questions has a long track record of using antisemitic tropes to denigrate Jewish People.”
Of course, all of that barely scratches the surface of what’s explored in The Dark Side of Roger Waters. You can watch the full 37-minute documentary below and decide for yourself:
The Dark Side of Roger Waters Documentary
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Gallery Credit: Jordan Blum
