According to Billboard, in a recent interview with Michael Smerconish, Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters discussed the current state of the world emphasizing the ongoing conflicts such as the war in Ukraine and China’s military drills near Taiwan. During the discussion, Waters defended his political opinions including his choice to call President Biden a “war criminal.”
Waters is currently on tour and is not shy in voicing his personal politics on the road. Prior to the start of one of his shows, he had displayed a message that encouraged fans who do not agree politically to “fuck off to the bar.” In fact, he has recently taken to projecting photos of “war criminals” onstage of which Biden had appeared with the cryptic caption: “Just getting started…”
When asked to elaborate on his choice to do so, Waters offered, “President Joe Biden, he’s fueling the fire in Ukraine… for a start, that is a huge crime. Why won’t the United States of America encourage [Volodymyr] Zelensky, [Ukraine’s] president, to negotiate, obviating the need for this horrific, horrendous war?”
Waters went on to claim that the war in Ukraine was spurred by NATO’s actions along the Russian border, citing the negotiation between the organization and former leader of the Soviet Union. He also emphasized the Soviet Union’s contributions to World War II in the fight against Nazism, thanking them for “protecting you and me from the Nazi menace.”
Waters also had some choice words about the conflict between China and Taiwan, remarking that “[China] is not encircling Taiwan! Taiwan is part of China!” He went on to compare and contrast China’s actions to the U.S.’s invasion of Iraq: “The Chinese didn’t invade Iraq and kill a million people in 2013… Who have the Chinese invaded and slaughtered?”
Smerconish pushed back on Waters’ statement, hinting at reports of China’s treatment of Uyghur muslims which Human Rights Watch have dubbed “crimes against humanity.” The musician responded: “Absolute nonsense!”
Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna
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