Musician Roger Waters is an anti-Semite who publicly denigrates Jewish people at his concerts, the United States government said on Tuesday.
Waters, a longtime anti-Israel activist who recently dressed as a Nazi during concerts in Germany, "has a long track record of using antisemitic tropes to denigrate Jewish people," the State Department said in its first public comments about the notorious Pink Floyd front man.
"The concert in question, which took place in Berlin, contained imagery that is deeply offensive to Jewish people and minimized the Holocaust," a State Department spokesman told the Associated Press. "The artist in question has a long track record of using antisemitic tropes to denigrate Jewish people."
Deborah Lipstadt, the State Department’s special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism, also denounced Waters, saying he is responsible for "despicable Holocaust distortion."
The State Department's comments come as the Biden administration faces criticism for its cozy ties with a bevy of anti-Israel groups. The State Department in particular has come under fire for hiring several individuals who worked in the anti-Israel community, and promoted anti-Semitic boycotts. The White House also recently came under fire for caving to anti-Israel groups that sought to weaken its ongoing efforts to counter anti-Semitism, which is rising at alarming rates across America.
Waters is no stranger to controversy, with his anti-Semitic antics landing him in hot water across the globe. Pro-Israel advocacy groups have dubbed him one of the Jewish people’s top enemies due to his obsession with Israel and mocking the Holocaust. The singer routinely lashes out at "racist apartheid Israeli regime," and has compared Israel to Nazi Germany.
In recent years, the aging musician blamed Israel for the death of George Floyd, saying the Jewish state’s security forces are responsible for inventing the techniques that resulted in Floyd’s death. Waters made these claims during a 2020 interview with a Middle Eastern news network tied to the Hamas terror group. He has also urged fellow rockers to boycott Israel, taking aim at Radiohead for doing a concert in Tel Aviv.
Shock jock Howard Stern was named a Washington Free Beacon Man of the Year in 2015 for his verbal takedown of Waters.
"Where do you want the Jews to go Roger?" Stern said at the time. "Where do you want them to go? You want them to just go back to the concentration camp? What is it you want, fuck head?"
The Anti-Defamation League has described Waters as a vitriolic anti-Semite who peddles conspiracy theories about Jewish people.