Pink Floyd founder Roger Waters condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine while saying it was not ” unprovoked ».
At Russia’s request, Roger Waters, founding member of Pink Floyd, spoke at the United Nations Security Council meeting on Wednesday. The musician’s speech was largely anti-war advocacy, as he condemned the for-profit military-industrial complex and highlighted the devastating effects of war on both people and the environment.
Since the topic of the meeting was the ongoing war in Ukraine, Waters eventually broached that topic as well. He condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which he called ” illegal but also said she was only ” not unprovoked “. He added : ” I therefore also condemn the provocateurs in the strongest possible terms. There, it is said. »
These remarks regarding the war in Ukraine were much more restrained than some others Waters has made in the past, notably in an interview with Rolling Stone. Last year, Waters said he thought his name was on a ” list of people to kill supported by the Ukrainian government “. In that same conversation, the singer blamed the ongoing war on NATO, suggesting that the organization left Putin no choice but to invade Ukraine.
Elsewhere in his speech at the UN, Roger Waters made language choices that arguably reflect a pro-Russian bent, such as when he speaks of ” the arming of the kyiv regime by third parties “. But despite these choices, Waters seemed above all to want to use his platform to call for an end to the war in Ukraine, and all wars. Positioning itself as the voice of million voiceless Waters said, ” Thank you for listening today, many of us do not share in the profits of the war industry. We do not voluntarily raise our sons and daughters to provide fodder for your cannons. In our view, the only reasonable course of action today is to call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. No ifs, no buts, no ands. Not one more Ukrainian or Russian life needs to be spent – they are all precious in our eyes. »
Over the past six months, Waters has had some controversial political stances. In August, he called President Joe Biden ” war criminal during a show on CNN and claimed that he ” directly fueled the war in Ukraine “. Then, in September, Waters published an open letter to Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, in which he attacked the Western source of the country’s arms supply.
United Nations Security Council diplomats criticized Waters’ appearance when it was announced he would speak. ” Russian diplomacy used to be seriousshared one of them on condition of anonymity. What is the next step ? Mr. Bean ? (Waters mentioned this quote in his talk, joking that the reference to Mr Bean suggested ” that it’s a safe bet that the anonymous diplomat is an Englishman »).
Larisha Paul and Jon Blistein
Translated by the editor