Roger Waters Slams 'War Criminal' Biden for 'Fueling the Fire in Ukraine'
11:01 GMT 07.08.2022 (Updated: 13:17 GMT 07.08.2022)
© AP Photo / Silvia Izquierdo
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Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters is touring the US with his solo concert and multimedia installation This Is Not a Drill. The legendary artist, who has taken a principled stand regarding the US-NATO involvement in the Ukraine conflict, earlier warned fans that if they can't stand his politics, they might just as well "F*** off to the bar".
Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters has slammed “war criminal” Joe Biden for “fueling the fire in the Ukraine”.
The English musician, singer-songwriter and composer, 78, is at present on his This Is Not A Drill tour across North America. Waters was interviewed by CNN anchor Michael Smerconish, as the media outlet covered his performances. When the host questioned elements of Waters’ set on stage, such as a 'War Criminals' montage featuring a photo of Joe Biden, the musician said:
“Well, he’s fueling the fire in the Ukraine, for a start. That’s a huge crime. Why won’t the United States Of America encourage [Volodymyr] Zelensky to negotiate, obviating the need for this horrific, horrendous war?”
The CNN host attempted to push the typical western narrative, saying, “But you’re blaming the party who got invaded… You’ve got it reversed.”
However, Waters continued in the same breath:
“Well, any war, when did it start? What you need to do is look at the history, and you can say, ‘Well, it started on this day.’ You could say it started in 2008… This war is basically about the action and reaction of NATO pushing right up to the Russian border, which they promised they wouldn’t do when [Mikhail] Gorbachev negotiated the withdrawal of the USSR from the whole of Eastern Europe.”
As Smerconish attempted to disagree, saying, “What about our role as liberators?” Waters came down hard on the anchor.
“We have no role as liberators… I would suggest to you, Michael, that you go away and read a bit more, and then try and figure out what the United States would do if the Chinese were putting nuclear-armed missiles into Mexico and Canada.”
NIGHT 1 OF 2 HERE IN PHILLY! @WellsFargoCtr pic.twitter.com/7UY8x73hrV
— Roger Waters (@rogerwaters) August 6, 2022
Waters’ tour offers a musical, visual and intellectual experience where he condemns the ruthlessness of the ruling elite in the US and around the world. His songs lay emphasis on such issues as fascism, the plight of refugees, global poverty, social inequality, and the danger of nuclear annihilation.
During a rendition of the 1992 anti-war song 'The Bravery of Being Out of Range', Waters incorporates images of each US president since Ronald Reagan, superimposing the words "War Criminal” on every one. In the case of President Joe Biden, Waters specified that he was “Just Getting Started”.
Waters has railed against lack of coverage of his tour in the mainstream press, recently denouncing the Toronto media after his two-night performance there and attributing it to his stance regarding the Ukraine conflict. He was cited as saying that a “long drawn-out insurgency in Ukraine would be great for the gangster hawks in Washington. It’s what they dream of.” On 1 August, as he gave a concert at Target Center, Minneapolis, he addressed the audience, saying:
“If you’re one of those ‘I love Pink Floyd but I can’t stand Roger’s politics people,’ you might do well to f*** off to the bar right now.”
The special military operation in Ukraine was launched by Russia on 24 February to stop the eight-year war waged by Kiev against the people of Donetsk and Lugansk. Over the past months, Moscow repeatedly called out Kiev for targeting civilians in Donbass using weaponry funneled into the country by the US and its western allies. The Kremlin has repeatedly warned that the self-harming sanctions regime imposed by the US, EU and their allies against Russia, together with billions of dollars of military aid pledged to the Kiev regime only serve to exacerbate the crisis.
