Waters and Morgan engage in heated Gaza debate
"For his support of Palestinians, Roger Waters is labeled an antisemite by many critics. In an interview with Piers Morgan, the former Pink Floyd star found himself in a heated debate over the Hamas terror and war crimes committed in Gaza.
"Update: Yesterday I interviewed Pink Floyd-star Roger Waters after I called him 'the dumbest rockstar in the world' and a 'complete idiot'. The interview went as expected.
Roger Waters has been advocating for Palestinians for a long time and had taken positions against Israel in the past. He is labeled an antisemite by many critics for his stance. In the YouTube show "Piers Morgan Uncensored", Waters and the moderator found themselves in a heated debate over the war crimes committed in Gaza and specifically the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which had sparked the conflict. The bassist now faces accusations of downplaying these crimes.
Morgan tried to extract a confession from the former Pink Floyd bassist that the Hamas attack on Israeli civilians was a terror attack. But the 80-year-old would not concede. "I will not have this conversation with you", he cut off. "It's a waste of time."
"Absolute right to armed resistance"
Waters called the killing of civilians "war crimes". But labeling Hamas as a terrorist organization was a step too far for him. "People fighting for the liberation of Palestine have a legal and moral right to resist the oppressor", he argued. "If someone invades your country, expels all the people from their homes, steals everything and occupies your land for 75 years, you have an absolute right to armed resistance."
On Morgan's question, whether he believed that there had been an Israeli operation under false flag on October 7, Waters replied: "I'm not saying that part of the Palestinian resistance movement didn't cross the fence towards Israel. I'm not saying that didn't happen at all. What I'm saying is, there's a lot of talk about whether Israel has the right to defend itself. Why didn't Israel defend itself that morning?", he asked. "Why did they wait seven hours before starting to shoot with machine guns?"
Waters also denied that there had been sexual assaults during the attack. He called the allegations "dirty and disgusting lies" spread by the Israelis. When Morgan argued that women had indeed been sexually assaulted and raped, the two men engaged in a brief "No!"-"Yes!"-debate, before Waters vehemently asserted: "There was no evidence. They can say whatever they want, but there is no evidence."
Waters' self-dialogue causes irritations"
For great surprise among the audience, Waters shocked everyone as he began a quiet self-dialogue to interrupt Piers Morgan. "Roger, Roger, calm down. Roger, don't stoop to his level," soothed the bassist to himself, looking to his left as if sitting next to him. "I won't," he replied to himself. "Shut up, shut up, man. Let him interrupt you as much as he wants," his inner voice whispered softly before Waters composed himself and loudly addressed Morgan: "Excuse me, Piers, what did you want to say?"
In fact, some accusations against Hamas - including alleged sexual assault cases - have been proven false. However, the March report by the United Nations states that there is "a credible basis for the allegation that during the attacks on October 7, 2023, at least three locations saw 'sexual violence - including rapes and gang rapes'."
Critics have accused Roger Waters of antisemitism for years, including his former Pink Floyd bandmate David Gilmour. Gilmour's wife Polly Samson called Waters "antisemitic down to his bones" last year. Waters, who has been feuding with the guitarist for decades, denies the allegations and instead describes himself as a critic of the State of Israel and its politics.
Roger Waters' stance against Israel and support for Palestinians has led to accusations of antisemitism, particularly in relation to his comments about the war in Gaza. Despite criticisms of Hamas' actions, Waters maintains that Palestinians have a right to armed resistance in the face of Israeli occupation. In a heated debate with Piers Morgan on "Piers Morgan Uncensored," Waters defended Hamas against allegations of war crimes and terrorism, stating that Palestinians fighting for their liberation have a legal and moral right to resist. The debate focused on the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent conflict, with Waters questioning why Israel waited to respond and disputing allegations of sexual assault during the attack. Despite the controversy, some critics have pointed out that some of the allegations against Hamas have been proven false.
