Roger Waters denied hotel stays in Argentina and Uruguay over anti-Semitism allegations, report says

By Waseem Akram On Nov 16, 2023

RIO DE JANEIRO — Hotels in Argentina and Uruguay have reportedly rejected reservations for Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters over allegations of antisemitism leveled by the British singer known for his pro-Palestinian views.

Waters was due to be in Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires ahead of shows scheduled for November 21-22 as part of his “This is Not a Drill” tour, but the booking issues fell through, with hotels announcing a lack of opportunity, the Argentine newspaper Pagina 12 reported.

Hotels in Montevideo, in neighboring Uruguay, refused to host him but did not give a reason, a Pagina 12 story on Wednesday quoted Waters as saying.

The singer said that he was still in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he performed a few days ago.

“I had a dinner date on the 16th with José Mujica, the former president of Uruguay, who is a friend of mine. And I can’t go (…) because the Israeli lobby and whatever they call themselves have turned me off,” Waters told Pagina 12.

The president of the Israel Central Committee in Uruguay, Roby Schindler, sent a letter to the Sofitel hotel urging it not to host Waters, Pagina 12 reported.

Waters is “taking advantage of his reputation as an artist to lie and spew his hatred towards Israel and all Jews,” Schindler said, according to Pagina 12. , you, even if you don’t want to, spread the hatred that this man is mocking,” said Schindler.

Waters has faced accusations of antisemitism for years, including criticism from the US government earlier this month. The State Department said Waters has “a long history of using antisemitic tropes to criticize Jews.” “

Speaking to Pagina 12, he vehemently denied that. “They do it because I believe in human rights, and I speak openly about the genocide of the Palestinian people,” said Waters.

In a recent interview with journalist Glenn Greenwald, Waters said that the surprise attack by Hamas terrorists in Israel on October 7th was “blown out of everything by the Israelis making up stories about killing babies.”