Roger Waters denied hotel stays in Argentina and Uruguay over antisemitism allegations days after saying Hamas were ‘morally bound to resist occupation’ and Israelis were ‘making up stories’
Roger Waters has been denied hotel stays in Argentina and Uruguay after being accused of anti-Semitism after supporting Hamas in the war against Israel.
The Pink Floyd rocker said the terror group was “morally obliged to resist the occupation” on October 7 and accused Israel of “making up stories” about the terror attack.
Waters was due to stay in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires ahead of shows scheduled for November 21-22 as part of his ‘This is Not a Drill’ tour, but bookings fell through, with hotels citing a lack of availability, according to reports the Argentine newspaper Page 12 reported.
Hotels in Montevideo, in neighboring Uruguay, also refused to host him but did not give a reason, Waters was quoted as saying on Wednesday.
The singer said that this meant he was still in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he performed a few days ago.
Hotels in Argentina and Uruguay have reportedly rejected bookings for Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters amid allegations of anti-Semitism against the British singer known for his pro-Palestinian views
“I had dinner on the 16th with José Mujica, the former president of Uruguay, a friend of mine. And I can’t go… because the Israeli lobby and whatever they call themselves, canceled me,” Waters told Page 12.
The president of the Central Israeli Committee of Uruguay, Roby Schindler, sent a letter to the Sofitel hotel urging it not to host Waters, according to Page 12.
Waters “abuses his fame as an artist by lying and expressing his hatred of Israel and all Jews,” Schindler said, according to Page 12.
“By receiving him, even if you don’t want to, you are propagating the hatred that this man radiates,” Schindler added.
Waters has been dogged by accusations of anti-Semitism for years, including criticism from the US government and British parliament earlier this year.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Waters “has a long track record of using anti-Semitic tropes to denigrate Jewish people.”
On Page 12 he strongly denied this. “They do it because I believe in human rights and I speak openly about the genocide of the Palestinian people,” Waters said.
The English musician, 80, sparked controversy last summer by wearing a ‘Nazi-style’ jacket to his concerts, leading to him being investigated by German police after a performance 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 elderly rocker said there was “something very strange” about Israel not realizing Hamas was invading.
Waters – who said he was “an opponent of the entire Zionist exercise” then questioned the atrocities committed by Hamas – saying the terrorist organization was “absolutely legally and morally obligated to resist.”
Waters said: “We don’t know what they did, but were they justified in resisting the occupation? Yes!
“But again, it’s the Geneva Convention – they have an absolute legal and moral obligation to oppose the occupation since 1967. It is an obligation.’
He continued: “As I said in a statement afterwards, if war crimes have been committed, I condemn them.
‘They have finally come up with figures on how many people actually died that day, and who they were.
“Probably the first 400 were Israeli soldiers – that’s not a war crime.
“Of course I don’t condemn that, but the case was blown out of all proportion because the Israelis made up stories about beheading babies.”
Speaking on the Rumble podcast System Update with Glenn Greenwald (pictured) – the elderly rocker said there was ‘something very suspicious’ about Israel, not realizing Hamas was invading
Supporters of the Jewish community demonstrated outside the O2 Arena in June before Mr Waters performed (pictured)
He wore the controversial outfit again during his performance in London
The host claimed Waters has been the target of “character smears and attacks” – suggesting this is because he has “expressed views that are threatening to people in power.”
The guitarist claimed that accusations of anti-Semitism had surfaced “because they don’t have an answer to the argument.”
He continued: “You cannot defend the State of Israel in the genocide that is taking place in Gaza today, tomorrow and the day after.
“It shows that at least you have a platform and people are listening to it – and it’s one that they (politicians) don’t want people to hear.”
Waters reportedly sang about his agent being a “damn Jew” in an improvised song, according to an account by the rocker’s ex-producer in an explosive documentary that investigated claims he made anti-Semitic comments.
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.
Further accusations claimed that the documentary used insults such as ‘dirty k***’ and ‘Jewish food’.
The podcast host claimed Waters has been the target of ‘character smears and attacks’ – suggesting this 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 gig
He is also said to have mocked the grandmother of a Jewish musician 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 on earth did the Israelis not know this was going to happen?’
“And I’m still kind of down that rabbit hole. Didn’t the Israeli army hear the explosions as they blew up everything they had to blow up to cross the border?
“There’s something very suspicious about that.”