- Adam Easton
- BBC News, Warsaw
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8 hours ago
photo released, Reuters
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Poland has been a staunch ally of Ukraine, and Waters’ comments provoked a backlash
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The concerts scheduled in Poland for Roger Waters, co-founder of Pink Floyd, have been canceled amid anger at the musician’s stance on the war in Ukraine.
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The party’s promoter, Live Nation Poland, confirmed his cancellation but gave no reasons.
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The controversy began over whether Waters wrote an open letter to the Ukrainian first lady, Olena Zelenska.
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In it, the singer claimed that the Ukrainian “radical nationalists” had “put your country on the path to this disastrous war”.
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Waters accused her husband, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, of failing to keep his election promises to bring peace to the Donbass region and did not mention Russia’s responsibility for the war.
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In response, Zelenska tweeted that it was Russia that invaded Ukraine and is now destroying its cities and killing civilians. “Roger Waters, you should ask another head of state for peace,” she added.
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Waters’ open letter prompted Lukas Wantosh, a member of the Polish city council in Krakow, to urge people to boycott his concerts.
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City council members drafted a resolution declaring Waters persona non grata, which is expected to be voted on at a hearing on September 28.
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Taking into account the Russian criminal attack on Ukraine and the growing number of war crimes committed by Russian soldiers that have come to light, he expresses [أعضاء المجلس] outraged by Roger Waters’ theses and statements in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Waters, who is currently touring the US, responded in another Facebook post titled “Lucas Wantouch, leave the kids alone”, referring to the lyrics of the classic Pink Floyd song, Another Brick in the Wall.
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Waters denied what He came in The media reported that he or his management canceled the concerts themselves and accused Wantush of exercising “tight control” over his work.
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Asked if the cancellation was related to Waters’ comments, a spokesperson for Taoron Arena, the venue that was supposed to host concerts in Krakow, told the BBC: “No comment.”
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The Polish government has been a strong ally of Zelensky since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Poland sent hundreds of Soviet-era tanks and other weapons to Ukraine and encouraged the European Union to impose tougher sanctions on Russia.
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After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, the government decided to open Poland’s borders to millions of Ukrainian women and children fleeing the fighting.
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According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, nearly 1.4 million Ukrainians have registered for temporary protection in neighboring Poland.
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The Poles have hosted hundreds of thousands of refugees in their homes.
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