War on Want 21 June 2006
Roger Waters of Pink Floyd spraying graffiti on the apartheid wall. (War on Want)
Roger Waters founding member, with Syd Barrett, of the super group Pink Floyd visited the West Bank city of Bethlehem on June 21, 2006, ahead of his performance in the Arab/Israeli Peace Village on June 22. He called for an end to the on-going Israeli Occupation.
Waters moved Thursday’s concert from Hayarkon Park outside Tel Aviv after discussions with Palestinian artists, as well as Israeli refuseniks, who called on him to use the gig as a platform to build solidarity with those fighting the injustices of Israeli foreign policy. He will also participate in a tour of its occupied Palestinian territories, and see for himself the hardship endured in towns like Bethlehem.
Roger Waters preparing to spray graffiti on the apartheid wall in Palestine. (War on Want)
Waters, who has a lifelong commitment to social and global justice, helped launch the UK group War on Want’s campaign against the Israeli Wall two years ago.
Waters said today: “The peace village provides a great backdrop to this concert and performing a gig there, where Arabs and Jews live together in a peaceful community, symbolises my support for all those on both sides who reject extremism and violence in their quest for a just peace.”
War on Want spokesperson Nick Dearden said: “We need musicians like Roger Waters taking this sort of principled stand. It is through statements and gestures like these that we can bring Palestine to the attention of the world, and ensure a better future for the region.”
War on Want is a UK-based international development charity supporting grassroots organisations across the Third World and campaigning against the root causes of global poverty, including the Israeli Occupation of Palestine. More details at: www.waronwant.org.
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