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International News Title: Roger Waters Concerts Canceled in Poland Because of his Ukraine Comments Roger Waters' concerts in Poland were canceled after he commented on the war in Ukraine. Krakow City Council will discuss declaring the musician "persona non grata." Concerts by Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters have been canceled by a venue in the Polish city of Krakow, organizers said on Sunday after the artist's comments on the war in Ukraine sparked a storm of criticism. "Live Nation Polska and Tauron Arena Krakow have canceled Roger Waters' concert," organizers said in a statement on the venue's website. However, they did not elaborate on the reason for the cancellation. On Saturday, state news agency PAP reported that a spokesman for Tauron Arena said Waters' management had canceled the concert without giving a reason. Water's open letter Waters was due to perform in Krakow in April next year, but Polish media reports of an open letter he wrote earlier this month to Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska sparked backlash. In an open letter, Waters said that the West should stop providing arms to Ukraine, accusing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of allowing "extreme nationalism" in Ukraine and urging him to "put an end to this deadly war." Poland counts itself among Kyiv's most loyal allies, and public support for the Ukrainian cause is very high. 'Persona not grata' in Krakow The Krakow city council is scheduled to debate a motion on Wednesday that would declare Waters "persona non grata." One of the councillors, Lukasz Wantuch, had urged city residents to boycott the Waters concerts. "Roger Waters, an open supporter of Putin, wants to play in Krakow... It would be shameful for our city," Wantuch said earlier on social media. "Let him sing in Moscow." In a social media post, Waters said that it was not true that he or his management had canceled the concerts and criticised Wantuch, accusing him of "draconian censoring of my work." Waters says he only wants 'negotiated peace' "Lukasz Wantuch seems to know nothing of my history of working, all my life, at some personal cost, in the service of human rights," Waters said. Paraphrasing the words of his hit single "Another Brick in the Wall", Waters also wrote: "Hey! Lukasz Wantuch! 'Leave them Kids Alone!'". He said he had only wanted to urge the countries involved "to work towards a negotiated peace rather than escalate matters towards a bitter end." Wantuch said in a Facebook post on Sunday morning that he was in Ukraine and would respond to Waters' statement in the evening. dh/msh (AFP, Reuters) Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest On Saturday, state news agency PAP reported that a spokesman for Tauron Arena said Waters' management had canceled the concert without giving a reason. Pink Floyd founder Roger Waters pushes back on reports he canceled concerts in Poland: 'Your papers are wrong' Pink Floyd's Roger Waters defended himself by saying he did not cancel his 'This Is Not A Drill' shows in Poland and he has dedicated his life 'in the service of human rights' By Landon Mion | Fox Newa
Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters is denying reports he canceled two upcoming concerts in Poland amid outrage about his stance on Russia's war against Ukraine. Waters had sent an open letter to Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska earlier this month in which he blamed "extreme nationalists" in Ukraine for setting the country "on the path to this disastrous war." He also criticized the West, the U.S. in particular, for supplying Ukraine with weapons and accused NATO of provoking Russia. Polish media reported that the two shows scheduled for April 21 and 22 at the Tauron Arena in Kraków had been canceled, citing an arena official. PINK FLOYD FOUNDER ROGER WATERS CANCELS CONCERTS IN POLAND OVER BACKLASH TO VIEWS ON RUSSIA'S WAR IN UKRAINE Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters is denying reports he canceled two upcoming concerts in Poland amid outrage about his stance on Russia's war against Ukraine.
"Roger Waters’ manager decided to withdraw... without giving any reason," Tauron Arena Krakow's Lukasz Pytko reportedly said Saturday. But in a social media post Saturday evening, Waters said the reports were inaccurate and called out two media outlets specifically, The Guardian and Gazeta Krakowska. "Your papers are wrong in their assertions that either, I or my management, has canceled my forthcoming shows in Krakow, we haven't," Waters wrote on Facebook. He also addressed Kraków city councilor Aukasz Wantuch, who has called for a vote on a proposal declaring Waters a persona non grata. City councilors are expected to vote on the resolution this week.
Wantuch has also urged a boycott of Waters' concerts in Poland. Waters said the resolution came in response to his "public efforts to encourage all involved in the disastrous war in Ukraine, especially the governments of the USA and Russia, to work towards a negotiated peace, rather than escalate matters towards a bitter end that could be nuclear war and the end of all life on this planet." He added that Wantuch seems to "know nothing" of his history of "working, all my life, at some personal cost, in the service of human rights." In a social media post Saturday evening, Waters said reports he canceled two concerts in Poland were inaccurate and called out two media outlets specifically, The Guardian and Gazeta Krakowska for reporting that he did.
"If Mr Aukasz Wantuch achieves his aim, and my forthcoming concerts in Krakow are canceled, 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," Waters wrote in his statement. "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," he continued. "His draconian censoring of my work will deny them the opportunity to make up their own minds."
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