‘Couldn’t find a hotel to stay’: Roger Waters says pro-Israel pressure campaign seeks to silence Israel’s critics
Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters has accused pro-Israel lobbying groups of orchestrating an international campaign to silence him over his outspoken criticism of Israel and its actions against Palestinians in Gaza, Anadolu reports.
Speaking in an interview with Tucker Carlson released Friday, Waters said he had been denied hotel accommodation in several South American countries during his 2023 tour.
“I couldn’t find a hotel to stay anywhere in Buenos Aires or in Colombia or in Ecuador,” Waters said, adding that he also encountered difficulties in Montevideo, Uruguay.
He said his team was eventually able to secure accommodation for one night in Quito, Ecuador, but claimed the hotel had to conceal his presence.
Waters attributed the incidents to what he described as highly organized pro-Israel lobbying networks operating internationally and pressuring hotels, venues and public officials to cut ties with him.
The musician also cited efforts to cancel a concert in Frankfurt, Germany, and the cancellation of a performance in Krakow, Poland, as examples of the professional consequences he has faced.
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“They wanted to cancel me because I was critical of the apartheid, of the genocide,” Waters said.
He argued that other artists and prominent public figures remain silent about Israel’s actions because they fear similar retaliation, including cancelled appearances, lost work and damage to their reputations.
“They won’t speak because they know that they’ll get the treatment that I get if they open their mouths,” he said.
Reports from 2023 said that hotels in Argentina and Uruguay had rejected reservations for Waters amid accusations of antisemitism directed at the musician. Waters has consistently denied being antisemitic, maintaining that his opposition is directed at the policies of the Israeli state rather than Jewish people.
The musician has been one of the entertainment industry’s most vocal supporters of Palestinian rights and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. His performances and political statements have repeatedly generated controversy, with supporters describing him as a prominent anti-war voice and critics accusing him of promoting antisemitic imagery and rhetoric.
Waters has rejected those allegations, arguing that they are used to discredit and suppress criticism of Israel.
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