Recently, I watched Roger Waters’ “This is Not a Drill” – a live worldwide broadcast from Prague. He had a lot to say in this particular concert, beginning with a statement that he won the pending court case against him where people in Frankfurt, Germany, were accusing him of being an anti-Semite. The court ruled he is not anti-Semitic and invited him back to Frankfurt.
Part of the show includes a satirical performance where he pretends to be a Hitler-like Nazi leader, with flags and a symbol resembling the Swastika but made with hammers. He wears a black costume with a black cape and black boots, and then shoots a fake rifle around the audience. In this excerpt, he stops the show, removes the scary black costume, and reads an answer to the critics. I hope the Nazis don’t come knocking on my door for posting it
The language of the UK Guardian newspaper also writes of his court victory allowing for his May 28, 2023, concert to go on as planned, with some interesting phrasing: “Court rules in favour of former Pink Floyd frontman despite ‘tasteless’ use of Nazi-inspired symbolism.”
As Mr. Waters explains, “My depiction of an unhinged fascist demagogue has been a feature of my shows since Pink Floyd’s The Wall’ in 1980.” What is or is not tasteless should left to the audience to decide.
A flying pig (balloon) is a feature of the show, with slogans on the side. This one says “Steal from the Poor. Give to the Rich.” Songs are inspired by the writings of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” plus sayings from “1984” are occasionally shown on screen. People are more afraid of the scary black uniforms of make-believe than they are the truth.
In the Prague show, after the Nazi satire number, he stopped the show, and then began disrobing, taking off the scary black cape and the jacket, showing that he is actually harmless and this was only a make-believe performance.
The moment was reminiscent of an episode from the 1970s of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, on American educational TV, when his guest Margaret Hamilton brought her scary black costume as the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz. Margaret tried on the costume, explaining that she is still a nice lady, the role as the witch was only make-believe, only a story. (Roger Waters basically did the same thing).
He had also been criticized for his inclusion of the name Anne Frank as a memorial to her unjust murder in WW2 as a Dutch teenage in a Nazi Death Camp, which had often been spoken of in Mr. Waters’ house as a child. In response to this attack, he read a response along with one minute of silence in honor of her and other victims of crimes against humanity.
If you ignore the misguided propaganda of the mainstream media, and remember a bit of history, you should realize that the attacks against Mr. Waters are unwarranted. As shown in the Prague concert, he is actually a nice guy (within limits), totally against fascism, injustice and bigotry in all form, which he has at least attempted to make clear throughout his professional career.
Crime of being Palestinian
Along with the mention of Anne Frank, this show also pays tribute to the late Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. As reported in the Arab News, the journalist’s name appeared in large letters on the concert’s screens with words saying that her crime was “being Palestinian” and her punishment was “death.”
Roger makes it clear that Israel is an Apartheid State, on the same level as what was South Africa and should be receiving the same treatment, plus, soccer matches should be cancelled and other means taken to draw attention to the sealing of land cultural and human genocide. Apartheid called for the segregation of different racial groups in South Africa – the same is happening in Israel today.
Turncoat Jews
So… if one is pro-Palestinian … How does that make them “anti-Semite”? Even Jews can stand for Palestinian rights and not be anti-Semite; or as some like to describe them, Jews who stand for equal human rights are equivalent to turncoats — self-hating Jews. Medical journals even publish articles on this diagnosis, such as one titled “Pathologizing dissent: identity politics, Zionism and the ‘self-hating Jew.”
It is hard to grasp how someone can contradict their very identity, religion and cultural values. However, in terms of Palestinians, it is easy for those who hold the moral high ground who seem to proclaim that no Palestinian deserves human rights.
Any Jew who thinks otherwise — so goes the mindset — is not really a Jew, or must be confused and not know where he stands on the issue. That includes lots of Jews that I know, including myself.
Such arguments are the same illogical arguments they use against Roger Waters. And now 90% of people into music take that as part of an excuse to pass him off and ignore him. It is sad that even former fans of Mr. Waters have lost their minds amidst this psyops-level mind control.
Disinformation Campaign
This entire disinformation campaign against Roger Waters reminds me of Charlie Chaplin in his final speech from the film “The Great Dictator”:
“The way of life can be free and beautiful but, we have lost our way. Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, and has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed … we think too much and feel too little.”
Chaplin’s claim to fame was being a comedian, but he was Jewish as well. For that reason, he was loved and hated as well by a large segment of society, and highly suspect.
“The Great Dictator” originally premiered on March 7, 1941. In this Oscar-nominated satire of Nazi Germany, dictator Adenoid Hynkel has a double: a poor Jewish barber who one day is mistaken for Hynkel. It would be nice if there were such doubles in our current time, especially in regards to Ukraine and comedians.
It is sad how Israeli, Zionist and some MSM propaganda teaches Jews to believe Palestinians are a “fake people,” and, together with the “Land without a People for a People without a Land” slogan, has been especially misleading.
Many former fans of Mr. Waters and his music have chosen hate due to this confusing of what it means to be a “Jew” vs. what it means to be a “Zionist.” It is easier to take the path of believing he is a rabid antisemitic.
They insist, if you stand on the side of human rights for Palestinians, you are an antisemite – they stick their virtual fingers in their virtual ears and absolutely refuse to listen to anything anyone says to the contrary. Even though a court determined otherwise, it is a 100% permanent cancellation—cut and dry.
Double Standards
In answer to the criticism that Waters is a “Putin apologist,” he has recently added an image of Putin visible next to Trump in his exhibition of war criminals. This is fine in Germany, which also finds joking about politicians running for office in Turkey to be okay as well.
Some Ukrainians also approve of imitations of “inspired” Nazi symbols and doctrine. In Germany, it is illegal, for obvious reasons, to display Nazi memorabilia and symbols such as the Swastika, although not in terms of foreign policy. It is also not just “US values that are under siege,” but much touted European values, which questions the core values that the EU was founded upon.
In “This is Not a Drill,” Waters performs a new number called “The Bar” throughout the show, where he invites people to discuss things, including differences of opinion, regardless of what side of politics one is on. One topic of discussion should be the military conflict in Ukraine.
Modern-day mainstream media seems to have forgotten the ongoing civil war that has been persisting in Ukraine since 2014.
It should also be pointed out that, before his death, Stephen Cohen questioned in his book “War with Russia” whether NATO expansion has made anyone safer; plus he stated that “Russia has not forgotten promises made by the West about how NATO would not be expanded.”
“The Bar” is now open for discussion
But now the bar is closing and, in conclusion, Roger Waters is keeping up the focus on the plight of Palestinians and other oppressed people, and much more than all the UN resolutions and the Camp David Accords together.
But I want to emphasis that music and musicians are often better at dealing with complex issues, even more so than are the career political elites and spin doctors—all of them together.
Charlie Chaplin’s quote from the Little Dictator, especially the part about “thinking too much and feeling too little” should serve as a constant reminder that true wisdom and fulfillment come from finding a balance between reason and emotion, thought and feeling.
In conclusion, “We think too much and feel too little.”
Seth Ferris, investigative journalist and political scientist, expert on Middle Eastern affairs, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.