Roger Waters is a man known for speaking his mind and freely sharing his political views.
Occasionally, they inadvertently overlap with his musical career and the Pink Floyd frontman has found himself in the headlines for non-artistic reasons once again.
Recently, Waters posted an open letter to Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska on his website that caused outrage amongst many. In it, he criticised powers including the US for supposedly prolonging the war in Ukraine by supplying weapons, and her husband, President Vladimir Zelensky, for failing to implement his election promises.
He also denounced the "extreme nationalists" in Ukraine that had "set your country on the path to this disastrous war."
Reports suggest that he subsequently cancelled two concerts due to take place in Poland next year, after officials in Kraków were set to vote on a proposal next week labeling the musician as a “persona non grata.”
The Guardian quoted a rep from the Tauron Arena venue in Kraków as saying Waters' "manager decided to withdraw – without giving any reason.”
Waters, however, has denied cancelling the gigs in a new post on Facebook, denouncing Krakow town councillor Łukasz Wantuch for his threat to hold a meeting to ban Waters.
"If Mr Łukasz Wantuch achieves his aim, and my forthcoming concerts in Krakow are cancelled, it will be a sad loss for me, because I have been looking forward to sharing my message of love with the people of Poland, something I have been doing on many tours over a career that has lasted in excess of fifty years," he wrote. "And also, regrettably, it will deny the people of Krakow the opportunity to see my current show, “This Is Not A Drill,” which is an important addition to a lifetime's body of work. His draconian censoring of my work will deny them the opportunity to make up their own minds."
