Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters has been banned from speaking on the University of Pennsylvania campus amid accusations of anti-Semitism for wearing a Nazi-inspired uniform and displaying Nazi imagery at a concert in Berlin.
The 80-year-old singer-songwriter was scheduled to appear at a panel discussion at the Write Palestine Literature Festival on Saturday. But after landing in the Keystone State, he posted a video on Instagram saying he had been told he would appear via Zoom.
“I was supposed to participate in a panel in a couple of hours this afternoon, but they told me I can’t get into Irving Arena because they arranged for me to attend the panel via Zoom,” Waters said. .
“And the fact that I came all this way to be present, because I care deeply about the issues that are being discussed, apparently doesn’t affect the campus police or whoever.”
In the video, Waters is seen flipping through a copy of the university newspaper, the Daily Pennsylvanian, which published an article titled “Palestine Writes Festival Becomes Campus-Wide Controversy.”
Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters posted a video on his Instagram on Saturday claiming he had been banned from the University of Pennsylvania campus.
Friday’s article states that several Jewish students and community members wrote to school administrators condemning the alleged anti-Semitism of speakers at the events.
In a letter, senior Eyal Yakoby wrote that the speakers’ presence on campus creates a “hostile” environment for Jewish students ahead of Yom Kippur, one of the holiest days in the Jewish calendar.
Pro-Israel activists also arrived on campus, the article states, parking jumbotron trucks and posting videos on TikTok of some of the past anti-Semitic comments from some of the speakers.
Although the article did not mention Waters by name, the singer appeared disturbed by the claims, saying in the video that he was “surprised” by the newspaper’s claims that he is anti-Semitic, and that the student-run newspaper was reporting on the controversy. as such. a “distraction tactic” that turned it into “the big news.”
Waters argued that the newspaper wanted to “downplay” a festival about Palestinian literature that was taking place.
The university hosted a Palestinian Write Literature Festival over the weekend. Universal Images Group via Getty Images
“If they can make you think and talk about anti-Semitism, then you won’t be thinking about the fact that Palestinians don’t have human rights in the occupied territories,” Waters said.
“This is what we should be talking about at the Daily Pennsylvanian, not whether Roger Waters is an anti-Semitic or not,” he continued in the third person. “And by the way, it’s not. I know it’s not. Shall I tell you how I know? “I am Roger Waters and this is my heart, and he does not have the slightest hint of anti-Semitism anywhere.”
The singer came under fire after donning a long black coat, black gloves and black sunglasses (with a red armband) during a May 17 concert in Berlin. The suit resembled that of an SS officer.
Pro-Israel activists have invaded the university campus, parking jumbotron trucks and posting videos on TikTok of some of the speakers’ past anti-Semitic comments.Fox News Digital
Later, the US State Department, in a statement, said that Waters has “a long history of using anti-Semitic tropes” and that her concert in Berlin “contained images that are deeply offensive to the Jewish people and minimize the Holocaust.” .
Waters, however, defended her choice of clothing and said it was a clear stance “in opposition to fascism, injustice and intolerance in all its forms.”
“My recent performance in Berlin has provoked bad faith attacks from those who want to defame and silence me because they do not agree with my political opinions and moral principles.” he said in a statement.
University President Elizabeth Magill said she and other administrators had met with Penn Hillel academic leaders and student representatives to discuss the controversy.UVA/YouTube
“Attempts to present these elements as something else are false and politically motivated. The depiction of a deranged fascist demagogue has been a feature of my shows since Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ in 1980.”
“As a child after the war, Anne Frank’s name was often spoken in our house, she became a permanent reminder of what happens when fascism is left unchecked,” he continued. “My parents fought against the Nazis in World War II and my father paid the ultimate price.”
Stay up to date with today’s most important news
Stay up to date on the latest with Evening Update.
“Regardless of the consequences of the attacks against me, I will continue to condemn injustice and all those who perpetuate it.”
Stop Antisemitism, a nonpartisan organization, has since praised Waters’ ban on campus, while condemning the university for allowing him to speak.
“Bigots like Waters should never be given a stage to spew their venom, whether in person or virtually,” he tweeted. “This hate fest will be President Liz Magill’s legacy and a forever stain on Penn.”
Waters was one of several who appeared at the Palestinian literature festival accused of being anti-Semitic, including Palestinian-American author Susan Abulhawa, Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah, and Palestinian illustrator and author Aya Ghanameh, all of whom have been criticized for previous observations.
Ganameh, for example, has tweeted “Death to Israel” on several occasions. Abdel-Fattah also called Israel a “sick, demonic project” and said he “cannot wait for the day when we commemorate its end.”
Meanwhile, Abulhawa has called for the dismantling of Israel, which he called “a colonial nation of degenerates” on his now-suspended account on X, formerly Twitter. He called Israel “a big militarized tumor” just days after seven Jews were killed in a shooting outside a synagogue.
The festival would also include Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah, who called Israel a “sick, demonic project” and said she “can’t wait for the day we commemorate its end.” Fairfax Media via Getty Images
The Palestine Writes festival denied that its speakers were anti-Semitic.
“No one at our festival is anti-Semitic,” he said in a statement to the Jewish Chronicle. “We know the difference between Judaism and Zionism, Jews and Zionists. These are not synonymous terms.”
School administrators also said in a statement that “we unequivocally and emphatically condemn anti-Semitism as antithetical to our institutional values.
“As a university, we also strongly support the free exchange of ideas as a core element of our educational mission,” they said. “This includes the expression of opinions that are controversial, and even those that are incompatible with our institutional values.”
University President Elizabeth Magill later told the Daily Pennsylvanian that she and other administrators had met with Penn Hillel academic leaders and student representatives to discuss the controversy.
“I am more personally committed than ever to addressing anti-Semitism in all its forms,” she wrote in a letter.
“The University of Pennsylvania has a long and proud history of being a place for people of all backgrounds and religions, and acts of anti-Semitism have no place at Penn.”
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn