罗杰沃特斯的言论在推特引发强烈反弹。澳洲战略政策研究所(Australian Strategic PolicyInstitute)国防、战略和国家安全计画(Defense, Strategy and National SecurityProgram)副主任布瑞斯托(Alex Bristow)指出,台湾从未被共产中国统治过。
Aug 08, 2022 • 11 hours ago • 3 minute read • 67 Comments
Roger Waters performs during This Is Not a Drill tour, at the Bell Centre on Friday, July 15, 2022. PHOTO BY PIERRE OBENDRAUF /Postmedia News
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Roger Waters found himself trending Monday morning after the Pink Floyd frontman branded U.S. President Joe Biden a “war criminal” and defended the Chinese government telling CNN’s Michael Smerconish they “didn’t invade Iraq and kill a million people.”
Waters, who is currently criss-crossing North America with his This Is Not a Drill tour, sat down with the TV host to talk politics and was asked why he uses an image of Biden during his concert with the words, “War criminal — just getting started,” during the show.
“President Biden? He’s fuelling the fire in the Ukraine, for a start — that is a huge crime,” Waters responded. “That’s a huge crime. Why won’t the United States of America encourage (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy to negotiate, obviating the need for this horrific, horrendous war?”
When Smerconish said that Waters was seemingly placing blame on Ukraine after it was invaded, the 78-year-old musician fired back.
“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 U.S.S.R. from the whole of Eastern Europe.”
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Smerconish and Waters also sparred over China’s fresh military drills around Taiwan in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the self-governed island.
“They’re not encircling Taiwan,” Waters denounced, “Taiwan is a part of China! And that has been accepted by the whole of the international community since 1948 — if you don’t know that, you’re not reading enough.”
Smerconish fired back, saying that China was “at the top of the list” for human rights abuses, which prompted Waters to reply: “The Chinese didn’t invade Iraq and kill a million people in 2003 … who have the Chinese invaded?”
“Their own,” Smerconish interjected, referring to the persecution of the Uyghurs.
“Bollocks,” Waters replied, “absolute nonsense … You should go away and read a bit more and try and figure out what the U.S. would do if the Chinese were putting nuclear-armed missiles into Mexico and Canada.”
Waters also praised Russia for defending the world against Hilter’s “Nazi menace” during the Second World War.
“You got into World War Two because of Pearl Harbor. You were completely isolationists,” Waters argued. “Thank God the Russians had already won the bloody war by then. Twenty-three million Russians died, protecting you and me from the Nazi menace.”
Waters’ rant divided social media, with some praising the legendary rocker for not shying away from controversial topics.
Actor Jesse Metcalfe said Waters was “dropping knowledge!,” while another fan observed, “Waters has been consistent his entire life. He opposes belligerent U.S. imperialism, by far the most destructive force on the planet. It’s absolutely normal to do that, it’s healthy. The only people who aren’t are those deeply affected by relentless corporate media propaganda.”
But Piers Morgan called the bassist, who in the past has been accused of anti-Israel rhetoric, “the dumbest rock star in history.”
Waters seems to know that his comments are dividing fans of his music, but he is unmoved. During the This Is Not a Drill tour, the show comes with a stern warning before the music starts. “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.”
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“That’s a really good way to start the show,” Waters quipped.
Last month, the musician courted controversy when he declared himself “more important” than Toronto music stars The Weeknd and Drake.
Learning that there wasn’t much media interest in his two Toronto shows because his concerts fell on the same night as The Weeknd’s scheduled gig at Rogers Centre, he told The Globe and Mail: “I have no idea what or who The Weeknd is because I don’t listen to much music.”
Waters then hit out at Drake, saying, “And, by the way, with all due respect to The Weeknd or Drake or any of them. I am far, far, far more important than any of them will ever be, however many billions of streams they’ve got. There is stuff going on here that is fundamentally important to all of our lives.”
On social media, Waters was billed as an out-of-touch “old man yelling at the clouds” with one Twitter user calling him a “selfish privileged white boomer.”