After posting a demo a few weeks ago of a new piece titled “Under The Rubble” with a keffiyeh draped on the computer screen he was working on, Roger Waters returns with a video posted on his X account, accompanied by the caption: “Genocide is always a mistake.”
Waters echoes the words of a letter he wrote in 2015 to Howard Stern: “It was his response to my letter to Bon Jovi, who was supposed to perform in Tel Aviv.” He continues: “I would like to clarify some points you raised: you repeatedly say that I have something against Jews and accuse me of antisemitism. That’s not true: I have nothing against them or their religion any more than I might have against Hindus or Muslims, the Pope or the Dalai Lama, or any other religion or ethnic group. I am not a bigot; I do not judge people or governments based on their religion or ethnic background.”
Genocide is always wrong. @HowardStern pic.twitter.com/bzxDBblALc
— Roger Waters ✊ (@rogerwaters) January 20, 2024
Then, Waters goes on, still reading from the letter to Stern: “You ask me to enlighten you,” and he goes into a lengthy discussion about the history of Israel and Palestine, starting from 1947-48. The conclusion, of course, refers to the current situation in Gaza: “Everyone can make mistakes, but human rights are important, human beings are important: the disturbing genocide of the Palestinians is no less atrocious than that of the Native Americans. Genocide is always a mistake.”