Roger Waters is denying recent accusations made against him in a new documentary that aims to prove he’s antisemitic.
The documentary was released by the Campaign Against Antisemitism. In a new post to his website, Waters says he initially didn’t feel he needed to respond but notes, “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,” he explains. “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.”
Waters criticizes the makers of the film, noting they’ve faced scrutiny because their “core purpose is waging partisan political campaigns against critics of the state of Israel.”
According to Rolling Stone, the doc, The Dark Side of Roger Waters, features interviews with The Wall producer Bob Ezrin and Waters’ saxophonist Norbert Stachel, claiming Waters made antisemitic remarks in front of them.
“Truth is, I’m frequently mouthy and prone to irreverence, I can’t recall what I said 13 or more years ago,” Waters explains. “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.”
He argues the film’s “seriously misleading in many respects,” noting it’s “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.”
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