Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters May Face Criminal Charges Over ‘Support Video’ Case
via El Muro De Pink Floyd / YouTube
Roger Waters Speaks Out
Roger Waters, the 81-year-old co-founder of Pink Floyd, is now facing possible criminal charges after posting a video online voicing support for the banned group Palestine Action. In the video, Waters said, “Parliament has been corrupted by a genocidal foreign power. Stand up and be counted – it’s now.” He criticized the UK Government’s recent move to label Palestine Action as a terrorist group, calling it a betrayal of both justice and democracy.
Waters didn’t stop there. He also pointed directly at Israel, accusing Sir Keir Starmer’s government of being “corrupted by agents of a genocidal foreign power.” His strong words triggered a serious response from the Campaign Against Antisemitism, a group that has often spoken out about antisemitism in public life.
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Legal Threats from Campaign Against Antisemitism
The Campaign Against Antisemitism issued a statement following Waters’ video. A spokesperson said, “We have reviewed the video posted by Roger Waters. Palestine Action has been proscribed. Anyone expressing support for it contrary to section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000 commits a criminal offence. We stand ready to privately prosecute offenders in instances where an offence has been made out and the authorities fail to act.”
Just hours after the ban took effect, police arrested 29 people in London’s Parliament Square for suspected terrorism offences. They were protesting and holding signs in support of Palestine Action. Waters’ video appeared to align with those arrested, potentially placing him in legal trouble.
Ongoing Controversy and Band Feuds
Waters has long criticized Israel’s actions in the Middle East. He also has a long-running feud with fellow Pink Floyd member David Gilmour. In June 2021, Waters posted a message on his website criticizing Gilmour, who joined the band in 1967. Though Waters left the group in 1985, he joined them once more in 2005 at the Live 8 concert in London.
Now, Waters has voiced public support for Palestine Action, declaring, “This is Independence Day, July the 5th, 2025. I declare my independence from the government of the UK. I support Palestine Action and I always will because that is the right thing to do.” He continued, “We will not be rolled over by this appalling Labour government in the United Kingdom. Palestine Action is not a terrorist organisation. They are lying. That’s all I have to say.”
Palestine Action Ban Upheld in Court
On Friday, July 5, Palestine Action lost its 11-hour legal appeal to stop the Government from declaring it a terrorist group. Co-founder Huda Ammor’s lawyer argued the decision would have a “chilling effect on free speech.” However, Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr ruled against them, saying the appeal had “no real prospect of success.”
The group had recently caused an estimated £7 million in damages to two Voyager military planes during a protest at RAF Brize Norton on June 20. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper called the damage “disgraceful” and said the group had a “long history of unacceptable criminal damage.” Parliament voted to approve the ban, which makes membership or public support for Palestine Action punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Watch Roger Waters’ Palestine Action support video below:
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Feud with Gilmour and Accusations of Antisemitism
In 2023, David Gilmour’s wife Polly Samson posted a harsh tweet targeting Waters. She wrote that he was “antisemitic to (his) rotten core,” and called him “a Putin apologist and a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy, megalomaniac.” Waters quickly responded, calling her claims “wildly inaccurate” and “incendiary.”
Gilmour then backed his wife’s comments, posting that “every word” of Samson’s tweet was “demonstrably true.” The online back-and-forth caused another wave of headlines, with fans of Pink Floyd taking sides in the very public dispute.
Defending His Views in Interview
Roger Waters later gave an interview to German magazine Berliner Zeitung, defending himself against claims of antisemitism. Sharing the article, he wrote, “The Truth Will Set Us Free.” He said that an “outrageous and despicable smear campaign by the Israeli lobby” was trying to label him an antisemite, which he firmly denied.
In the interview, Waters questioned Western military actions and said, “The most important reason for supplying arms to Ukraine is surely profit for the arms industry.” He compared leaders, saying, “Is Putin a bigger gangster than Joe Biden and all those in charge of American politics since World War II? I am not so sure. Putin didn’t invade Vietnam or Iraq, did he?”
He also claimed that Israel was engaged in genocide and compared it to British actions during colonial times. “We believed ourselves to be inherently superior to the indigenous people, just as the Israelis do in Palestine. Well, we weren’t and neither are the Israeli Jews,” he said.
