After Australian singer Nick Cave expressed his opposition to boycotts of Israel, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd mocked him in an Instagram video published on Saturday.
"This is my response to the Australian guy," Waters said in response to Cave’s interview on The Reason Interview podcast, where the singer maintained his long lasting stance on the BDS, calling the concept of a cultural boycott ineffective.
“I struggle with the idea of using my music to punish ordinary people for the actions of their government.” Cave said, “It's clearly not working in Israel right now. In my opinion, it energizes the worst elements of the current government. They exploit the isolation and the 'whole world is against us' mentality. It serves them to advance their malicious agendas—while at the same time punishing ordinary fans."
The singer also expressed his appreciation and love for Jewish and Israeli communities.
"My first girlfriend of three years was Jewish.” he explained, “I have a relationship with Jews, so it's kind of a personal thing."
He later added that his fascination with the Bible as a young person led him to travel to Israel to see for himself where it all happened.
"There, I could stand by the Sea of Galilee and walk to the place where Jesus was crucified. It was extraordinarily moving. Regardless of all the terrible complexities happening in Israel at this time—deep down, I have an enduring love for that place and for the history of the Jewish people."
Following these statements, former Pink Floyd bassist and founder, Roger Waters, took to Instagram to respond to the interview after Cave claimed that Waters was "embarrassing" and that his support for the BDS movement was harmful.
In a video posted to his 1.3 million Instagram followers, Waters explained to The Independent his feelings toward Cave.
"Let's see if they publish this or not," said the 80-year-old Waters before beginning to read, "Dear Independent, here is my response to the Australian guy Nick Cave. Nick f***ing Cave. Do the Palestinian mother or father carrying the parts of their dead child in a plastic bag on their bitter way back to nowhere stop by the side of the road to 'scratch' a message on the rubble?"
Waters then began speaking on behalf of ‘indigenous Gazans’ – though he himself is British – saying, "We, the Indigenous people of Palestine, beg you in agony not to cross the BDS line to sing for your supper in Israel. It’s not complicated, Nick. It’s not complicated. This act serves to whitewash the 75-year-long Israeli Zionist occupation, the land theft, the apartheid, and the genocide of our people, Nick. Please, follow the example of Roger Waters and Brian Eno and countless others who are active in the BDS movement."
In the caption of the video, Waters tagged Cave, continuing his message.
"Hey, it’s okay to be wrong, mate.” he wrote, “You're not opposing genocide—is that a big deal? But hey, nobody’s perfect. Just say you’re sorry. Not to me and Brian Eno, we don’t care. Apologize to the Palestinians, join the BDS, and let bygones be bygones. With love."
Cave's response
Waters, a long time supporter of the BDS, has claimed in the past that Israel fabricated stories about Hamas terrorists raping women and killing babies during the October 7 massacre in an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored that air earlier this summer.
Cave, who has performed in Israel as recently as summer of 2022, shared his thoughts on the war in Gaza and the long and bloody conflict.
"We don’t really understand this kind of s**t these days," the artist said on The Reason Interview podcast, "The BDS operates on the principle that if you're going to perform in Israel, they wear you down until you cancel—that’s a victory. If you do perform, they basically leave you alone."