Knives Out For Roger Waters Again
As Germany investigates Waters for alleged antisemitism in his anti-fascist stage show, pro-Israel detractors jump at the latest chance to promote the myth that Palestine solidarity is antisemitic
There is a palpable sense of desperation around the effort by Israel’s supporters to find evidence of antisemitism among the Palestinians and Palestine solidarity activists. Roger Waters is once again being targeted in that effort.
The desperation is a danger in itself. Antisemitism is indeed rising, in the United States, in Europe and around the world. But its rise is demonstrably due overwhelmingly to the ascendence of the right wing and its attendant conspiracy theories of “global elites,” Jewish “puppet masters” and George Soros’ “attempts to destroy the fabric of civilization.” Most appallingly, the government of Israel is supporting and defending such antisemitism, while alleged “civil rights groups” like the Anti-Defamation League downplay them in order to wildly exaggerate antisemitism that exists in support of the Palestinian cause.
While of course activism opposing Zionism or Israeli policies is going to lead some ignorant people into antisemitism, and it will also attract some who wish to use the Palestinian cause as a shield to protect their fundamental hatred of Jews, these phenomena are neither common nor characteristic of the Palestinian cause and are not the major drivers of the growth of antisemitism. That is the province, as it has always been, of far-right conspiracy theorizing.
Following Roger Waters’ recent concert in Berlin, German authorities, who have gone to draconian lengths in recent years to silence criticism of Israel in a manner eerily and ironically reminiscent of bygone days, are investigating Waters for a performance of his farewell tour, entitled “This Is Not A Drill.” The performance includes features that Waters has employed for years; in some cases, those features date all the way back to 1980 and the highly acclaimed tour for the album “The Wall” by Pink Floyd.
The idea that Waters, whatever one might think of him, is suddenly supporting fascism through his work, however, is absurd on its face and in light of the work itself.
That is not to say that Waters is not acting in a provocative manner. At 79 years of age, he has obviously abandoned any concern (and he never displayed much) about tailoring his words to try and deflect or dodge the bad faith attacks that have headed his way. And he has taken controversial stances that have affected the support he might have gotten from liberals.
Specifically, Waters’ claim that Russia was “provoked” into invading Ukraine has upset many who would otherwise defend him, although those people seem to conveniently forget that Waters has also condemned the invasion and called Vladimir Putin “a gangster.” I admit, I’m not thrilled with the stance he’s taken on that issue. I can attest that I find that frustrating as a critic of the U.S.’ and NATO’s response to Russia’s invasion (you can find my views on that score here, here, and here) who is often accused of defending Vladimir Putin, itself a bad faith argument obviously belied by what I have actually said.
Waters has also promoted the idea that the White Helmets group in Syria, which has saved countless lives, is actually front group for “jihadists and terrorists.” It’s an absurd and baseless conspiracy theory.
Waters expresses all his views with great passion and certainty, but in the end, he is an artist and entertainer, not a foreign policy professional or scholar. So, when he goes on about a given subject, he inevitably gets things wrong. Sometimes those are small details, other times they’re major points. But one need not be an expert, or have every fact correctly lined up to speak out when one sees injustice. Waters does that, and if his being a rock star means people give undue weight to his words, that’s the fault of the audience, not the speaker.
On all sides of the political equation, we urge artists and celebrities to “use their platform,” but the second they do so for a cause or on a point we disagree with, they are pilloried. What we seem to be saying is, “Use your platform but only in ways I approve of.” Sorry, but it doesn’t work that way.
Waters is certainly forceful about his views, and this opens him up to even more criticism, as he is often confrontational in his tone and choice of words. But, again, at 79, and clearly unhappy about the state of the world, that is his prerogative. And Waters himself invites people to “fuck off to the bar” if they don’t want to hear his views.
But when one looks at all the evidence together, what one sees is a man who, right or wrong, is passionate about justice, and who is being attacked for it not because he is saying anything against Jews—not one of his accusers has been able to find a single antisemitic statement outside of fiery criticism of Israel—but because he is attacking Israel and offering a full-throated defense of Palestinian rights.
It’s the question of Palestine that makes Waters a target and means his critics won’t just write him off as an aging rock star going on about politics. No, Waters must hate Jews to ever side with the Palestinians so passionately.
The objections raised over his recent concert are familiar to anyone who is familiar with the controversy around Waters for more than a decade, one which has raged ever since he started speaking out forcefully in support of Palestinian rights and the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. But with the surge in antisemitism in recent years, the criticism is more pointed.
The current flap is centered on several aspects of Waters’ show, none of which are new, but are now the focus of the German government. One is the inflatable pig Waters has used on many tours, ever since it debuted in 1977 as an advertisement for Floyd’s album, Animals. The symbolism is hardly obscure, as the album consisted mainly of three long songs, “Dogs,” “Pigs (Three Different Ones),” and “Sheep.” The analogy isn’t hard to read, the pig representing the powerful and wealthy, the class of the oppressor. But in his recent tours, Waters has painted the pig with various symbols and statements, including a Star of David, representing Israel’s brutal oppression of the Palestinians.
On a previous tour, the pig also had a dollar sign near the star, which was also taken as an antisemitic motif. That is more arguable than the current bad faith argument being made, although given that a 2016 report by staunchly pro-Israel researcher Gil Troy found that Jewish Americans contributed around half of all campaign funds to the Democratic party and 25% of the funds to the Republicans, it is clearly based in reality not antisemitic myth.
On the Democratic side, at least, a lot of that money very likely has nothing to do with Israel, as the issue of Israel has routinely been at the bottom of liberal Jews’ voting priorities (it is much higher for the conservative, orthodox, right-wing Jews who support the GOP). But there remains quite a bit of money being spent by pro-Israel groups, and AIPAC and other advocacy boast about it. If anyone else mentions it, though, they are attacked with bad faith and spurious accusations of antisemitism. In fact, the fact that there is a widespread belief in Washington that Jewish support depends on a candidate’s attitude toward Israel, despite the fact that all the evidence says this is simply not true.
In any case, none of this indicates antisemitism on Waters’ part. The Star of David is the most widely recognized symbol of Israel, and, therefore, of its policies, apartheid, human rights violations, war crimes, and all. Adopting a Jewish symbol for the state flag was a choice made by Israel, not the Jewish people and certainly not Roger Waters. To argue that to use it in calling out Israel’s crimes is antisemitic is fallacious. It represents criticism of a state, a government, just as using the Union Jack or the familiar stars and stripes would do.
Waters’ hostility and anger at Israel is as palpable as it is off-putting for many liberal critics of Israel, but, again, that is not antisemitism. In a mark of just how much bad faith is being employed against Waters, he is being criticized for listing Anne Frank among the innocent victims of violent authoritarianism on the screen above the stage. The real outrage is at the fact that he also included Shireen Abu Akleh among those images. How, it is asked, dare Waters compare the killing of an innocent Jewish girl by the Nazis to a Palestinian journalist shot by an Israeli soldier? The racism inherent in the very question is obvious. The value of a Jewish life to those critics is obviously much greater than that of a Palestinian, an attitude that marks the shameless core of the problem of Jewish supremacy in Israel.
The thrust of the German investigation is a bit where Waters dons the outfit of a fictional fascist army, the Hammers, from The Wall. Anyone who has listened to the album, seen the videos from that era, or watched the movie made from the album will recognize this motif instantly and understand it for the strident anti-fascist statement it is. Those who are arguing that it somehow represents Waters’ endorsement of fascism are either completely ignorant of the man’s work (in which case they should be looking at it before making such a statement) or, much more likely, are simply making the typical bad faith argument that is rampant all over social media.
Some of the support I’ve seen online for these spurious accusations is beyond absurd. Some have cited the idea that Waters’ ex-Pink Floyd bandmates have also accused him of antisemitism, among other sharp criticisms. In fact, only one ex-bandmate, David Gilmour, has done this, echoing his wife’s statements. The late Richard Wright is known to have had a very stormy relationship with Waters, who at one point pushed Wright out of Pink Floyd, but never accused him of antisemitism. Nick Mason, Floyd’s drummer, has remained neutral in the heated dispute between Waters and Gilmour, and has even welcomed Waters on stage with his own band in recent years.
Gilmour and Waters have been feuding for decades, and the war of words (and litigation) heated up in the past year in a fight over the credit given to Gilmour for his work in creating the Animals album ahead of the release of a remix the two had been fighting over since it was completed in 2018. Who can say who is right or wrong in that dispute? It certainly, though, means we should not take the word of either party regarding the other.
Again, apart from his undoubtedly sharp criticism of Israel, there is no evidence of Roger Waters being an antisemite. The one time I met Waters, in a conference that was mostly attended by Jews, he seemed quite at ease, but I have no insight into his personal views. All I know is what is in the public view, and try as Israel’s advocates might, that view offers no evidence for Waters’ alleged antisemitism. On the contrary, while his anti-fascism is amply proven by five decades of music and statements, the evidence for antipathy for Jews is limited to his support for BDS, support for Palestinian rights, and the mantra, repeated over and over by his detractors that he is antisemitic.
Some have heard it so often, they have come to believe it, and that’s too bad. Waters, like any activist, is not correct on every point he makes publicly. Nor do any of us have to agree with his views on any subject. But the constant name-calling and smearing in an attempt to silence him is unseemly and unfair.
Maybe if Waters’ detractors devoted even half the energy they expend on tearing him down to stopping Israel’s apartheid policies and practices and to demanding that Palestinians and Israelis have equal rights and freedoms in the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, we’d all find ourselves in a better world.
Recent Articles
A few selections of my recent writing. Keep up to date by following my blog at
http://rethinkingforeignpolicy.org or following me on Twitter @MJPlitnick
Biden push for Saudi-Israeli normalization reflects misreading of domestic and international politics
https://mondoweiss.net/2023/05/biden-push-for-saudi-israeli-normalization-reflects-misreading-of-domestic-and-international-politics/
Nakba denial is at the heart of pro-Israel lobbying
https://mondoweiss.net/2023/05/nakba-denial-is-at-the-heart-of-pro-israel-lobbying/
Biden administration quietly backs Israel’s deadly assault on Gaza
https://mondoweiss.net/2023/05/biden-administration-quietly-backs-israels-deadly-assault-on-gaza/
Bipartisan lovefest for Israel out of touch with US public
https://mondoweiss.net/2023/05/bipartisan-lovefest-for-israel-out-of-touch-with-us-public/
Netanyahu bolsters Sudan’s military leaders in attempt to save normalization
https://mondoweiss.net/2023/04/a-democratic-sudan-will-not-want-to-normalize-with-israel/