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War in Ukraine: How Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters finds himself at the heart of a controversy (Photo of Roger Waters on stage in New York on August 30, 2022)
UKRAINE – The co-founder of the rock group Pink Floyd Roger Waters, invited by Russia to speak before the UN Security Council, denounced this Wednesday February 8 the Russian invasion but also those who provoked it, incurring the wrath of Ukraine.
“The invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation was illegal. I condemn her in the strongest terms.”, said the ex-Pink Floyd by videoconference. But “It is not true that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was unprovoked. So I also condemn the provocateurs in the strongest terms.”he added.
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The British musician who has been controversial in recent months regarding his position on the war in Ukraine also called for an immediate ceasefire, so as not to lose any more “a single Ukrainian or Russian life”.
Another brick in the wall of misinformation
While being ironic regarding a Security Council « sans influence » : “this lack of bite is perhaps good news (…), if I can open my big mouth without fearing that my head will be ripped off”. His speech was immediately denounced by the Ukrainian ambassador.
“How sad for his former fans to see him accepting to be just another brick in the wall, in the wall of Russian disinformation and propaganda,” launched Sergiy Kyslytsya in reference to the lyrics of the famous song by Pink Floyd, Another Brick in the Wall.
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“I’m surprised he didn’t inflate a pig-shaped balloon in the Council Chamber today, as he does in many of his concerts. What would it have been Mr. Waters this time, pigs with swastikas, hammer and sickle? »he added, calling on the musician to stick to the guitar “instead of lecturing” to the Council.
“I naturally recognize (Roger Waters’) impressive credentials as an artist, his qualifications to speak to us as an expert on arms control and security issues in Europe are less obvious”quipped Deputy US Ambassador Richard Mills.
“ungrateful person” Poland
Russia had requested this meeting to discuss the armaments supplied to Ukraine by the West. By delivering these weapons, “our former western partners are forcing (Ukraine) to hold on as long as possible without thinking regarding the losses of the Ukrainian armed forces and putting morality aside”Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia said.
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He welcomed the intervention of Roger Waters, “one of the most important activists in the contemporary anti-war movement”seeing it as a sign of “the concern of the international artistic intelligentsia” regarding the direction the world is taking.
In an open letter in early September, Roger Waters, 79, wrote that the West should stop supplying arms to Ukraine and accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of tolerating a “extreme nationalism” before ordering him to put an end to “this murderous war”. It was then declared “ungrateful person” in Krakow, Poland, and its concerts canceled.
Conversely, Pink Floyd released its first original song since 1994 last April, in support of the Ukrainian people. A few days ago, Polly Samson, one of the band’s lyricists, also the companion of its singer and guitarist David Gilmour, called Roger Waters on Twitter a“anti-Semite” and D’“Putin apologist”. Charges he denied ” entirely “ on his Twitter account, denouncing “incendiary and totally inaccurate comments”.
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