Former Pink Floyd Roger Waters faces possible prosecution over support for Palestine Action

Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters could face prosecution after declaring his support for Palestine Action, an organisation that has been banned by the UK Parliament.

Waters posted a video to X in which he praised Palestine Action as a “great organisation,” saying they were “nonviolent” and “absolutely not terrorists in any way”.

He also expressed support for British punk-rap band Bob Vylan, who had a controversial set at this year’s Glastonbury Festival when they led a chant of “death, death to the IDF” (Israel Defence Force).

As of last Saturday, Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist group in the UK under the Terrorism Act 2000. This means that membership in or public support for the group is now classified as a criminal offence and is punishable by up to 14 years in prison and/or a fine.

In the video, Waters also showed viewers a sign he was making from cardboard saying "Roger Waters supports Palestine Action", continuing: “Parliament has been corrupted by agents of a genocidal foreign power. Stand up and be counted. It’s now. This is the moment. I am Spartacus.”

Waters went on to declare independence from the UK government.

“I declare my independence from the Government of the UK, who’ve just designated Palestine Action a terrorist, proscribed terrorist organisation.”

Organisations such as Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) have responded to the video on social media, writing: “We have reviewed this post. Palestine Action has been proscribed. Anyone expressing support for it contrary to section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000 commits a criminal offence. We stand ready to privately prosecute offenders in instances where an offence has been made out and the authorities fail to act.”

Waters has previously denied accusations of antisemitism in his longtime support for Palestine.

His alleged antisemitic remarks have “infuriated his former bandmates” and last year, Waters was reportedly dropped by music rights company BMG over his inflammatory remarks about Israel, Ukraine and the US.

He won a legal battle in April 2023 after magistrates of Frankfurt instructed a venue to cancel his concert, accusing him of being “one of the most widely known antisemites in the world”.

Waters explained that his disdain is towards Israel, not Judaism, accusing Israel of “abusing the term antisemitism to intimidate people like me into silence”.

Waters has also hit back at other musicians for their various stances on Israel. He told Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood that “there is no argument to be made”, adding: “It is not a conflict. It is a genocide, Thom and Jonny."