Former Roger Waters followers have resorted to Twitter to explain how they plan to sell their concert tickets after the Pink Floyd musician called Biden a “war criminal” for backing war actions in Ukraine.
‘I’m selling my @rogerwaters tickets for Vancouver and Los Angeles. ‘Dude, study #Ukraine history, or moron’s FB post,’ one Twitter user remarked on Sunday. During a montage shown at a recent performance, Waters, 78, branded Biden, as well as every US president since Ronald Reagan, with the controversial label. The British artist then engaged into a heated dispute with CNN anchor Michael Smerconish over the weekend when the journalist questioned Waters’ choice to include Biden in the controversial part of his program.
Following the interview, a slew of followers flocked to Twitter to express their displeasure with Waters’ stance, with one person succinctly stating, ‘Old rocker OFF his rocker.’
In addition to canceling their tickets, several people accused Waters of being out of touch and urged he stick to producing music.
‘What do you expect from a singer? Neither authoritative nor informed. Stick to what you’re excellent at, Roger!’ a user tweeted
‘Roger Waters should stick to his guitar instead of commenting on geopolitical issues he plainly knows nothing about,’ said another. The arrogance of this moron encouraging others to “read more” is akin to an alcoholic instructing a sober person to “drink less.” Waters defended placing Biden in the montage by claiming that the US president committed a “major crime” by not persuading Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to negotiate and halt “this awful, horrifying conflict,” instead “fueling the fire in Ukraine.”
The two also disagreed on America’s participation in the Russia-Ukraine war, as well as the continuing struggle between China and Taiwan.
Waters believes the US has overreached by intervening in these foreign matters and is spreading “liberator propaganda.”
Do you believe Roger was correct to enter politics and attack Biden?
Yes, his zeal is admirable.
No! He should stick to music.
Waters met down with Smerconish to discuss the sentiments portrayed during his extremely politicized This Is Not a Drill Tour.
The CNN anchor opened the conversation by questioning Waters about the ‘war criminal’ moniker he placed on Biden.
‘Well, he’s supporting the conflict in Ukraine,’ Pink Floyd’s co-founder said. ‘That is a heinous crime.’ Why won’t the United States of America persuade Zelensky to negotiate, so eliminating the necessity for this awful, horrifying war?’
Smerconish responded by accusing Waters of “blaming the party that were invaded,” but the artist responded by criticizing NATO of pressing Russia’s action.
‘Well, any conflict, when did it start? What you need to do is look at the history and say, ‘Well, it began on this day.’ ‘You might say it began in 2008,’ Waters said. This battle is really about NATO pressing right up to the Russian border, which they pledged not to do when [Mikhail] Gorbachev negotiated the evacuation of the USSR from all of Eastern Europe.’
Smerconish claimed that the US had a history of playing the role of global ‘liberator,’ which Waters instantly disregarded.
‘You became involved in World War II because of Pearl Harbor. ‘You were total isolationists,’ the musician said.
‘Thank goodness the Russians had already won the brutal war by then.’ Twenty-three million Russians perished to safeguard you and me from the Nazi threat.’ He also addressed the continuing confrontation between China and Taiwan, which heightened tensions when US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi paid an unexpected visit to the self-ruled island republic.
Pelosi expressed support for the country and warned that China would not “isolate Taiwan” by barring US officials from visiting. Her statements came as Beijing upped military intimidation and fired ballistic missiles towards Taiwan.
‘I would advise that you… go away and study a little more, and try to figure out what the US would do if the Chinese were launching nuclear-armed missiles into Mexico and Canada,’ Waters said Smerconish.
‘The Chinese are too busy surrounding Taiwan right now,’ the journalist said.
Waters, unimpressed by the remark, said, ‘Taiwan is a part of China.’ Since 1948, the whole international community has agreed on this. If you don’t know, you’re not reading enough.
‘You are trusting your side’s propaganda. You can’t have a talk about human rights and Taiwan without first doing some reading.’
‘The Chinese did not invade Iraq and murder a million people in 2013,’ Waters noted. ‘Whom have the Chinese invaded and slaughtered?’
‘Their own,’ Smerconish said, presumably alluding to the Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim communities that Beijing has put in’re-education camps,’ subjected to forced sterilization and labeling.
Waters attacked Smerconish’s remark, stating, ‘Bullocks! That is just rubbish! Absolute rubbish!’ The musician’s statements provoked outrage on Twitter, with many calling his charges ludicrous.
‘What the Division Bell is Roger Waters on?’ Alex Bristow, deputy director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Defense, Strategy, and National Security Program, tweeted. ‘He’s certainly been living on The Dark Side of the Moon.
‘Taiwan has never been dominated by communist China.’
The Jerusalem Post’s Diplomatic Correspondent Lahav Harkov said, “Rule of thumb: Anything Roger Waters says on geopolitics is inaccurate.”
‘Hey @rogerwaters, first you claim there won’t be a war because Putin is too good,’ Olexander Scherba, former Ukrainian Ambassador to Austria, tweeted.
‘Than (sic) there is a war – and you say, well, it’s a war for a good purpose.’ Why don’t you just relocate to Russia, you callous, merciless, lost little person?’
Olga Lautman, co-host of the Kremlin File podcast, responded to Scherba, saying, ‘According to the Chinese rubbish propaganda he was spewing about Taiwan, it seems he has an option of where to relocate.’ Russia and China I wonder whether he works for both.’
‘There seems to be a scarcity of Taiwanese experts, or even citizens, on CNN’s contact list. And a lack of intellectual plasticity in Roger Waters’ thinking,’ said journalist and author Jojje Olsson. Some online users hastened to support the singer, claiming he was only exposing CNN lies.
‘Roger Waters, co-founder of Pink Floyd, exposes CNN anti-China misinformation!’ Dominic Lee, a Hong Kong-based lawmaker and software entrepreneur, wrote about it.
‘@Rogerwaters strives to educate @smerconish of CNN about the lies they propagate,’ Johnny Akzam, an unsuccessful Minnesota congressional candidate, commented.
‘Look at how Roger Waters (founder of Pink Floyd) crushed CNN falsehoods and propaganda in 90 seconds,’ a Somalia-based Twitter user wrote.
‘I hope our Somali officials and folk would learn how to use force to oppose those who violate our essential land and sovereignty.’
