The ADC, Australia’s leading civil rights organisation fighting hatred in all its forms, has called on Telstra which is supporting the forthcoming Australian tour by Roger Waters and Live Nation, to publicly disassociate themselves from the singer’s anti-Israel views and his support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction campaign, and to ensure that his concert does not become a hate-fest. The former lead singer for Pink Floyd has pressured other artists to refuse to perform in Israel, such as Radiohead, Cyndi Lauper, and Bon Jovi. He has also compared Israel to Hitler’s Third Reich, accused Israel of genocide against the Palestinians, labelled the Jewish state an apartheid regime , and has talked of a powerful Jewish lobby. During a concert as part of his “The Wall Live Tour” in 2010 and 2011, a scene was shown of planes dropping bombs in the shape of Jewish stars of David and dollar signs, and in a 2013 performance a giant pig shaped balloon emblazoned with a Star of David was released into the sky. Even the Vatican denounced the use of this imagery as anti-Semitic.
Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the ADC, issued the following statement:
“Over the last few years, Roger Waters has obsessively maligned and denigrated the Jewish state, calling for a total cultural boycott against Israel and pressuring other artists not to perform there. He has maliciously charged the Israeli government with ethnic cleansing and shamefully compared its policies to that of Nazi Germany and apartheid South Africa. Equating the Jewish victims, including 1.5 children, to the Nazi monsters who exterminated six million Jews, is beyond grotesque and beyond condemnation. Such demonisation and delegitimization, deemed to cross the line into anti-Semitism, must never find a home in our nation . Ignoring terrorism that has claimed the lives of Israeli citizens, and the abhorrent human rights abuse in other countries, Waters has reserved his ugly invective for Israel alone. In fact, he has had no problem performing in China, Turkey and Russia. Some people have concluded that this irrational hostility and relentless animosity against Israel is driven by other motives, namely anti-Jewish sentiment, an impression which was amplified when imagery, evoking classic anti-Semitic themes, was used in his concerts, namely an inflatable horned pig balloon emblazoned with the Jewish Star of David, and on other occasions ,when a prop with a Star of David was immediately followed with dollar signs, dredging up the libel of Jews as greedy. We call on Telstra and on Live Nation to publicly repudiate the offensive and disturbing statements made by Roger Waters, to reject the BDS campaign and anti-Semitism, and to ensure that his Australian concert is not used to bash Israel and to promote divisive and dangerous stereotypes about Jews.”
For further information please contact Dr Dvir Abramovich on 03 9272 5677.