Disturbed’s frontman David Draiman, known for his growling and guttural vocals, has lashed out at rock legend Roger Waters from Pink Floyd for supporting the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, The Jerusalem Post reports. Ahead of their first gig in the Jewish state, the musician said in an interview, posted on the Bring Disturbed to Israel Facebook page, that Waters and his “Nazi comrades” are propagating an ideology of “hatred”.
“Boycotting an entire society, an entire people, based on the actions of its government is absolutely ridiculous”, he said.
Draiman, who has attended Orthodox yeshivas in Chicago and serves as a member of the advisory board of an anti-BDS NGO called Creative Community for Peace, reportedly noted that no calls will stop him from performing in Israel.
“I’ve been planning this literally my entire life. The BDS crew know well enough to not even try to contact me”, he said.
Roger Waters has voiced his support for the pro-Palestinian BDS movement on numerous occasions, including campaigning against holding the Eurovision song contest in Israel this past May.
He accused the organisers, participants, and guests, including Madonna, of "betraying" humanity and stated that a person's commitment to the UN Declaration of Human Rights obliges them to support their "brothers and sisters" in their fight for human rights.
Prior to this, in line with the BDS cultural boycott policy, Waters has refused to perform in Israel and even asked a Pink Floyd tribute band to cancel their scheduled Israeli gig.
READ MORE: A-Listers Roger Waters, Vivienne Westwood Call to Boycott Eurovision in Israel
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement seeks to subject Israel to political and economic pressure in retaliation for alleged human rights abuses. In 2004, a group of Palestinian luminaries launched a campaign advocating a boycott of academic and cultural ties with Israel specifically to stop what they described as the oppression of Palestinians by the Jewish state.
Israeli officials and a number of Western politicians, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, allege that the movement is anti-Semitic.