Episode 1878: Roger Waters

Introduction

Episode 1878 featured Roger Waters, the legendary Pink Floyd co-founder and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. While Waters is highly credentialed in music and performance art, this episode became problematic due to his promotion of geopolitical misinformation and denial of extensively documented Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Waters used Rogan’s platform to dismiss verified evidence of atrocities as “propaganda” and “lies,” contradicting findings from multiple independent investigations by the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and international criminal prosecutors.

Russian War Crimes Denial

The Claim

During and around the time of this October 2022 appearance, Waters characterized evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine as “lies, lies, lies” and dismissed documented atrocities as “Western propaganda.”

The Facts

Extensive Independent Verification:

The Bucha massacre and other Russian war crimes in Ukraine have been extensively documented by multiple independent sources:

• Human Rights Watch researchers who worked in Bucha from April 4-10, 2022 (immediately after Russian withdrawal) found extensive evidence of summary executions, unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, and torture—all constituting war crimes and potential crimes against humanity (Human Rights Watch, April 21, 2022)

• United Nations Human Rights Office documented the killing of 73 civilians in Bucha alone (54 men, 16 women, 2 boys and 1 girl) and was corroborating an additional 105 alleged killings. The UN report detailed summary executions of civilians by Russian troops (UN OHCHR, December 2022)

• Amnesty International published investigation results on May 6, 2022, concluding that Russian forces were guilty of unlawful attacks and willful killings of civilians in Bucha, Andriivka, Zdvyzhivka, and Vorzel, confirming 22 different cases of killings by Russian forces in Bucha alone (Amnesty International UK, 2022)

• German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) provided radio intercepts of Russian soldiers in the area north of Kyiv, linking them to specific atrocities in Bucha, identifying an airborne regiment and army unit as initially responsible, with Wagner Group later playing a leading role (Der Spiegel report, April 2022)

Physical Evidence:

Ukrainian authorities and international investigators uncovered:

• Over 450 bodies of civilians in Bucha
• Many victims showing signs of execution, torture, and mutilation
• Victims with hands tied, shot at close range
• Women, children, and elderly people among the dead
• Mass graves
• Satellite imagery confirming bodies lying in streets while Russian forces were still present

The 33-day Russian occupation of Bucha (February 27 to March 31, 2022) left 561 civilians dead, including 12 children (Wikipedia: Bucha Massacre).

”Unprovoked” Invasion Claims

The Claim

Waters claimed that Russia’s invasion was “not unprovoked” and condemned “the provocateurs,” implying Ukraine or NATO bore responsibility for Russia’s February 2022 invasion.

The Context

Waters’ framing echoes Kremlin talking points that attempt to justify the invasion by citing NATO expansion concerns. However, this narrative ignores:

• Ukraine’s sovereignty and right to choose its own security arrangements
• Russia’s previous violations of Ukrainian sovereignty (2014 annexation of Crimea)
• The absence of any military threat from Ukraine to Russia
• International law prohibiting wars of aggression

The Kyiv Post fact-checked Joe Rogan’s claims about Ukraine and found that some points directly contradicted the factual record and at times repeated Kremlin narratives “almost verbatim” (Kyiv Post, 2024).

Pattern of Kremlin Alignment

Waters’ Broader Record

Waters’ appearance on JRE was not an isolated incident but part of a pattern:

• UN Security Council Speech: Waters later spoke at the UN Security Council at Russia’s invitation, prompting Ukraine to slam his remarks as pro-Russian propaganda (Al Jazeera, February 9, 2023)

• CNN Interview: In August 2022, Waters defended Russia and China, calling President Biden a “war criminal” over Ukraine while dismissing Russian actions (The Hill, August 6, 2022; Spin, August 2022)

• 2014 Crimea: Waters was added to the unofficial Mirotvorets blacklist in 2018 following comments appearing to justify Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea (Newsweek fact-check, October 2022)

Why This Matters

Denying Documented Atrocities:

When a celebrity with Waters’ global platform denies verified war crimes, it:

• Undermines accountability for mass atrocities
• Dismisses the suffering of documented civilian victims
• Provides cover for authoritarian aggression
• Contradicts the findings of independent international investigators

The Harm:

Roger Waters is not a geopolitical expert, military analyst, or international law specialist. He is a musician. When Rogan provides his platform to someone dismissing extensively documented war crimes as “lies,” it normalizes disinformation and makes it harder for the public to distinguish between verified facts and propaganda.

The evidence from multiple independent sources—UN investigators, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, intelligence services, satellite imagery, and forensic examinations—conclusively demonstrates that Russian forces committed war crimes in Ukraine. Calling this evidence “lies” is not a matter of legitimate debate; it’s denial of documented atrocities.

Antisemitism and Israel-Palestine Misinformation

The Claims

During the episode, Waters made several deeply problematic statements about Israel and Jewish people that have been characterized as antisemitic by multiple organizations:

• Waters claimed Israel is attempting to manufacture an intifada “so they can just kill them all” (referring to Palestinians)
• He described Hamas as “the democratically elected government of Gaza”
• He invoked antisemitic tropes about Jewish lobby power in the music industry

The Context

The Anti-Defamation League has documented Waters’ pattern of antisemitic rhetoric over many years:

• ADL’s Evolution: Initially defending Waters in 2013, the ADL later acknowledged that “anti-Semitic conspiracy theories” have “seeped into the totality” of Waters’ views, with National Director Abe Foxman stating “Judging by his remarks, Roger Waters has absorbed classic anti-Semitic conspiracy theories” (ADL, 2013)

• Simon Wiesenthal Center Condemnation: The Center specifically condemned Rogan for “granting a platform” to Waters and agreeing “that Israel’s existence is an exercise in segregation and racism” (Simon Wiesenthal Center, 2022)

• Pattern of Behavior: In a May 2023 concert in Berlin, Waters desecrated the memory of Holocaust victim Anne Frank, compared Israel to the Nazis, and paraded around on stage wearing an SS Nazi uniform

While legitimate criticism of Israeli policy is important and necessary, Waters repeatedly crosses into antisemitic territory by invoking conspiracy theories about Jewish power, making Nazi comparisons, and using eliminationist rhetoric.

Taiwan Misinformation

The Claim

When discussing Taiwan, Waters immediately snapped: “They’re not encircling Taiwan – Taiwan is part of China.”

The Reality

This statement echoes Chinese Communist Party propaganda and ignores the complex geopolitical reality:

• Taiwan has been self-governing since 1949 with its own democratic government, military, currency, and passport
• While China claims sovereignty over Taiwan, Taiwan functions as an independent state in practice
• Waters’ framing dismisses the democratic self-determination of 23 million Taiwanese people

Conclusion

While Roger Waters deserves recognition for his extraordinary musical contributions, his appearance on JRE episode 1878 exemplifies the dangers of platforming geopolitical misinformation and antisemitic rhetoric from non-experts. Rogan failed to challenge Waters’ dismissal of verified war crimes, his antisemitic tropes, or his parroting of authoritarian propaganda about Taiwan. The episode contributed to the spread of narratives that align with both Kremlin and CCP propaganda while promoting harmful stereotypes about Jewish people.

Musicians and artists have every right to express political views, but when those views involve denying documented mass atrocities, spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories, and dismissing democratic self-determination, media platforms have a responsibility to provide fact-based pushback. This episode failed that test on multiple fronts.