Roger Waters has said he wonders if the “fishy” attacks perpetrated by Hamas on October 7 could have been a “false flag operation”.
The Pink Floyd co-founder has once again faced accusations of anti-Semitism for claiming the massacre, which killed 1,400 Israelis last month, was “thrown out of all proportion” and questioned the origins of the attack.
In an interview with journalist Glenn Greenwald, Waters expresses doubt about the death toll and Hamas’ role in the attack. When asked if the attack could be “justified”, he said: “We don’t know what they [Hamas] did do” during the invasion.
“Was it justified for them to resist the occupation? Yeah,” he said. “But again, it’s what you said, it’s the Geneva Conventions. They are absolutely, legally and morally bound to resist the occupation since 1967. It’s an obligation.”
He added that while he would “condemn” war crimes “if” they were committed, he believed the massacre “was thrown out of all proportion by the Israelis making up stories about beheading babies.” The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had shared graphic photos of “murdered and burned” babies in the wake of the attack.
“What we do know is, whether it was a false flag operation or not, or whatever, or whatever happened, and whatever story we’re going to get to … and we don’t know if we’re ever going to get much of the real story,” Waters continued. “It’s very, it’s always hard to tell what actually happened.”
After being repeatedly asked to condemn the attack, Waters said that “there may have been individual” cases of civilians killed. He went on to cite an article from The Grayzone – which has been accused of spreading misinformation – claiming “probably the first 400 [killed] were Israeli military personnel,” which is “not a war crime.”
Waters was recently the subject of a documentary, The Dark Side Of Roger Waters, which was produced by the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism and collates various incidents of alleged anti-Semitism perpetrated by the musician.
Rogers has previously spoken out against the documentary with a post to his official website, dismissing the project as “a flimsy, unapologetic piece of propaganda”. He also claimed that it “indiscriminately mixes things I’m alleged to have said or done at different times and in different contexts, in an effort to portray me as an antisemite, without any foundation in fact”.
It highlights a controversial concert in Germany back in May, which was criticised by the US State Department who described it as “deeply offensive to Jewish people”.
The comments came after the musician appeared on stage at his show wearing a black trench coat with a swastika-like emblem. At the time the musician defended the choice, claiming that the segment was a statement against fascism, injustice and bigotry and called criticism of it “disingenuous and politically motivated”.
According to a report by AP News, the death toll has now surpassed 10,000 people in Palestine, and 1,400 in Israel.
In contrast, Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein called for “Palestinian liberation” and ceasefire during a live show in London last night (November 8).
Speaking directly to the audience mid-way through the show, Carrie Brownstein highlighted the ongoing developments across the Middle East, stating (via Clash): “We want a ceasefire and we want Palestinian liberation and we want peace.”
She continued, urging those in the room to make an active push for “what is right”, stating: “There’s not much we can say right now except that there’s a lot going on, and this is the only chance we have… we’re so fucking lucky to be here, to be alive, so please fight with all your heart for what is right.”
