Former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters may be facing cancelations of upcoming scheduled concerts due to his support for a boycott against goods and services from Israel.
Waters has been making headlines lately due to his harsh criticism of the band Radiohead for moving forward with plans to perform an upcoming concert in Tel Aviv, Israel. The rocker is an outspoken critic of Israel, and a staunch supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The BDS supports withdrawing economic support for Israel due to its poor treatment of the Palestinian people, and refuses support until Palestinians are granted equality under Israeli law.
Breaking the Law?
Rogers’ stance isn’t sitting well with leaders in the Jewish community and lawmakers in Uniondale, a Nassau county city in New York. They recently gathered at the Nassau Coliseum to call for the upcoming Roger Waters concerts scheduled for September to be canceled.
In fact, a Nassau County official is now threatening to take “appropriate legal action” against the Nassau Coliseum operators if the concerts are allowed to move forward as planned.
Last year, officials in Nassau County passed a bill prohibiting individuals and companies from doing business with the county if they support the BDS movement. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order similar to this last year. Nassau lawmakers say that allowing Waters to perform at the Nassau Coliseum would be in violation of this local law that takes a stand against Israeli discrimination.
