Roger Waters in new antisemitism controversy as music workers raise fresh claims against Pink Floyd co-founder

28 September 2023, 06:43

Roger Waters has been accused of composing a tune that branded Pink Floyd's agent a "f***ing Jew" in fresh allegations.

Bob Ezrin, who is Jewish, said the controversial musician behaves like an antisemite.

A saxophonist has described Waters using the phrase "Jew food" and said he impersonated a Polish peasant after finding out his Eastern European family was killed in the Holocaust.

New claims have emerged in a documentary called The Dark Side of Roger Waters, an online documentary released by the Campaign Against Antisemitism.

Waters has been criticised for his stance on Israel, which he compared to Nazi Germany, while the singer denies he is antisemitic and said that kind of attack is meant to undermine his position on the Middle Eastern state.

Ezrin, a Canadian who worked on Another Brick in the Wall, said he came to work with Pink Floyd for the album that included that single in 1979.

He claims he saw Waters write a tune about Bryan Morrison, the band's agent.

"Something like the last line of the couplet was 'cause Morry is a f***ing Jew'," he told the documentary.

"It was my first inclination that there may be some antisemitism under the surface. Now Roger knew that I'm Jewish so I didn't know whether this was another one of those sort of button-poking things that he was doing just to see if I would react or whether he just did not even get how offensive that might be to a Jewish person."

Saxophonist Norbert Satchel told the documentary he once Waters describe food served at a Lebanese restaurant as "Jew food" as he pushed it away with his arm.

Read more: Holocaust survivor's daughter speaks out after being 'manhandled' from Roger Waters' O2 arena gig

He has claimed that Waters impersonated a Polish peasant after hearing several members of his Jewish family from Poland and Belarus died in the Holocaust.

"He tried to go into character as a babushka and he puts on this impression of an old hag. He tries to portray a Polish Jewish peasant woman's voice," Satchel said.

"What got me is after he does this he goes: 'Now youve met your grandmother, how do you feel now?'

"He knew that I wouldn’t challenge him on it because I wanted his money and I wanted his gig. A power thing, that's all, and an arrogance thing. Maybe an evil thing."

Read more: Holocaust survivor's daughter evicted from Roger Waters' O2 arena gig as singer faces anti-semitism accusations

In June, Waters' show was criticised for a segment where he wore a black trench coat with a SS-styled emblem.

During his tour he compared the killing of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh to the murder of Anne Frank.

He is still due to play at the London Palladium in October.

The chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, Gideon Falter, said: "Roger Waters is literally a rock star. He could do anything.

"He's got this platform which allows him to influence tens of thousands of people at his concerts, millions of people via social media, and yet he keeps using it for this — to push the buttons of Jews, to bait Jews, to keep on coming back to Jews.

"What kind of a person does that with that kind of a voice?"