Roger Waters angry over April Fools poster for Tel Aviv gig
Pink Floyd front man takes to Twitter to vent criticism after Israeli ministry's mock-up poster of gig in the Jewish state
It seems some top-class musicians with a political axe to grind just can’t take their April Fool’s jokes.
Pink Floyd front-man Roger Waters – well-known for his pro-Palestinian activism and his loathing of Israel – may now fall into that category, after he took grave exception to an Israeli ministry’s mock-up poster of his forthcoming July gig in Tel Aviv.
Posting on April Fool’s Day, and subsequently incurring Waters’ wrath, was Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs, whose work includes countering the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which Waters supports.
While most social media users were wise to the ministry’s false claim on 1 April that Waters would be playing in Tel Aviv on 16 July, the musician did not see the funny side, barking back in capital letters: “HO! F******* HO!”
He said: “THIS IS NO LAUGHING MATTER. THE MURDER OF UNARMED CHILDREN AND PARAMEDICS AND JOURNALISTS AND OTHER PEACEFUL PROTESTERS BY COWARDS IN UNIFORM WITH HIGH POWERED SNIPER RIFLES FROM BEHIND FORTIFIED POSITIONS IS NOT A MATTER FOR JEST.”
He added: “YOU DISGUST ME, AND YOU DISGUST THE WHOLE OF THE REST OF THE CIVILIZED WORLD,” attaching a photo of a Palestinian doctor covered in blood who he claimed “WORKED ALL DAY TO SAVE SOME OF THE LIVES YOU HAVE TRIED TO DESTROY”.
The majority of Twitter users told him to lighten up, while others pleaded for him not to actually come and play in Tel Aviv.
APRIL FOOLS DAY POST BY THE ISRAELI MINISTRY OF STRATEGIC AFFAIRS:
"ROGER WATERS TO PLAY IN TEL AVIV 16th JULY 2019.”
HO! FUCKING HO!
EXCEPT THIS IS NO LAUGHING MATTER.THE MURDER OF UNARMED CHILDREN AND PARAMEDICS AND JOURNALISTS…
Read more: https://t.co/yCaGhtosnD https://t.co/Xk3thRAuWD
— Roger Waters (@rogerwaters) April 1, 2019
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