Among the issues he discussed were the recent Israeli military assault on Gaza, the ongoing US embargo of Cuba and the NATO attack on Syria in 2018, prompted by false claims that the Assad regime had carried out a chemical attack. Throughout the 90-minute program, Waters demonstrated his considerable knowledge of historical and contemporary international politics. In the online forum, the musician made introductory comments and the balance of the webinar was devoted to his answering questions from the moderators and live viewing audience. On Monday afternoon, Waters participated in an extended webinar moderated by Todd Pierce and David Swanson of World Beyond War, a global peace organization. When Smerconish, answered provocatively, “Their own,” Waters replied bluntly, “Bollocks. In fact, as far as I can recall-hang on a minute, who have the Chinese invaded and murdered, slaughtered?” Unabashed, Smerconish doubled down and spouted further anti-Chinese propaganda: “If you are having a conversation about human rights, at the top of the list of offenders are the Chinese.” Waters replied, “The Chinese didn’t invade Iraq and kill a million people in 2003. You can’t have a conversation about human rights, and you can’t have a conversation about Taiwan without actually doing the reading.” because you’re believing your side’s propaganda. When Smerconish asked him if their conversation had resolved anything, Waters spoke bluntly: “No. And that has been accepted by the whole of the international community since 1948 and, if you don’t know that, you’re not reading enough.” Smerconish blurted out, “The Chinese are too busy encircling Taiwan, as we speak.” Waters became more animated, “They’re not encircling Taiwan. This prompted Smerconish to assert that Russia should have “learned their lesson from war” and not “invaded Ukraine.” Waters told the CNN commentator, “I would suggest to you, Michael, that you go away and read a bit more and then try and figure out what the United States would do if the Chinese were putting nuclear armed missiles into Mexico and Canada.” Don’t forget 23 million Russians died protecting you and me from the Nazi menace.” Smerconish then asked, “What about our role as liberators?,” to which Waters replied, “You have no role as liberators.” When Smerconish pointed to the US intervention in World War II, Waters observed, “Thank God, the Russians had already won the bloody war almost by then. Speaking of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, Waters suggested that “somebody either whispered in his ear or he completely changed his mind about making peace in the Donbas and about solidifying the Minsk agreement and making peace with their Russian neighbors” and obviating the need for the war. Significantly, when a transcript of the interview was posted online, it became clear that CNN producers had deleted a portion of Waters’ comments. “This war,” Waters responded, “is basically about the action and reaction of NATO pushing right up to the Russian border, which they promised they wouldn’t do when Gorbachev negotiated the withdrawal of the USSR from the whole of Eastern Europe.” That is a huge crime.” When the musician observed that it was a “horrific and horrendous war” with Russia, Smerconish interjected, “But you’re blaming the party that got invaded. Waters began to explain that Biden is “fueling the fire in Ukraine for a start. In reviewing the facts that prompted the characterization of Biden, Waters showed that Smerconish-who presents himself on his weekly CNN program and in other journalistic pursuits as a “balanced” commentator-is merely another mouthpiece for US propaganda. In the course of the CNN interview, Waters took the opportunity to explain why, during his concerts, he includes President Joe Biden as a “war criminal” who is “just getting started” on a list along with every other US president since Ronald Reagan. Opposition to the US-NATO war with Russia and/or the campaign to demonize China is simply not encountered on American television or in the pages of the daily newspapers. The appearances are noteworthy-and newsworthy-because the US media in general is as tightly censored and as submissive to the authorities as that existing under many authoritarian regimes. Waters, currently on a 38-date concert tour in North America entitled “This is Not a Drill,” appeared on Saturday morning in a short interview on CNN with Michael Smerconish and was featured in a 90-minute webinar on Monday hosted by World Beyond War. On Saturday and Monday, English-born musician-composer and activist Roger Waters denounced the role of the US government in the war between Russia and Ukraine and discussed other contemporary political issues in two public appearances.
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