Pink Floyd's David Gilmour calls former bandmate Roger Waters antisemitic

Roger Waters gave an interview in which he repeated his comparison between Israel and Nazi Germany.

Former Pink Floyd leader Roger Waters speaks to the media in 2012. Some of his best friends are Jewish. (photo credit: CARLO ALLEGRI/REUTERS)
Former Pink Floyd leader Roger Waters speaks to the media in 2012. Some of his best friends are Jewish.
(photo credit: CARLO ALLEGRI/REUTERS)

Pink Floyd split up many years ago, and the relations between the former band members, especially frontman Roger Waters and guitarist David Gilmour, probably won't lead to a reunion any time soon.

The relationship between Waters and Gilmour has worsened further against the backdrop of the war between Russia and Ukraine, due to Waters' support of Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The latest fight between the two came as a result of a tweet by Polly Samson, Gilmour's wife, who addressed Waters on Twitter and wrote, "you are antisemitic to your rotten core. Also a Putin apologist and a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy, megalomaniac. Enough of your nonsense."

Gilmour shared his wife's tweet and wrote, "every word demonstrably true."

Waters reacted to the attack on Twitter, writing that he "is aware of the incendiary and wildly inaccurate comments made about him on Twitter by Polly Samson which he refutes entirely. He is currently taking advice as to his position."

 Pink Floyd's Nick Mason and David Gilmour. (credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Pink Floyd's Nick Mason and David Gilmour. (credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Waters doubles down on anti-Israel rhetoric

The Samson/Gilmour attack on Waters comes as a result of an interview with the Berliner Zeitung in which Waters expressed support for Putin and took back when he called the Russian president a "gangster", calling US President Joe Biden the same thing for supplying weapons to Ukraine.

Later in the interview, Waters was asked about Israel and repeated his comparison between Israel and Nazi Germany. He was then asked about German attempts to stop him from performing in the country because of his stance on Israel. To that, he replied that "the lobby activists in Israel demand it. It's idiotic."