BMG reportedly splitting from Roger Waters following Israel comments

Roger Waters is reportedly set to be dropped by his label BMG over his recent and high-profile comments on Israel.

The outspoken former Pink Floyd member has been in the news recently for his comments on the conflict in Palestine and accusations of antisemitism.

Waters has repeatedly denied all accusations of antisemitism and explained that his disdain is towards Israel, not Judaism. He also accused Israel of “abusing the term antisemitism to intimidate people like me into silence”.

According to a new Variety report, sources from the label say that they are planning to separate from Waters, though didn’t respond to requests for comment on the new story.

Waters was recently the subject of a documentary, The Dark Side Of Roger Waters, which was produced by the Campaign Against Antisemitism and collates various incidents of alleged antisemitism perpetrated by the musician.

Rogers has spoken out against the documentary with a post to his official website, dismissing the project as “a flimsy, unapologetic piece of propaganda”. He also claimed that it “indiscriminately mixes things I’m alleged to have said or done at different times and in different contexts, in an effort to portray me as an antisemite, without any foundation in fact”.

The documentary highlights a controversial concert in Germany back in May, which was criticised by the US State Department who described it as “deeply offensive to Jewish people”.

The comments came after the musician appeared on stage at his show wearing a black trench coat with a swastika-like emblem. At the time the musician defended the choice, claiming that the segment was a statement against fascism, injustice and bigotry and called criticism of it “disingenuous and politically motivated”.

In April, Waters won a legal battle to play a concert in Frankfurt after it was initially cancelled over claims of antisemitism.

He had been scheduled to play at the publicly owned Festhalle on May 28, but Frankfurt City Council called off the performance over the musician’s views on Israel. They later described him as “one of the world’s most widely-known antisemites”.

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