David Draiman has called out former Pink Floyd vocalist/bassist Roger Waters as an "anti-Semite" and "monster".
Speaking to YouTuber Linda Advocate, the Disturbed vocalist discussed his background in the Jewish faith and activism, as well as his on-going feud with the ex-Pink Floyd man.
"He's a piece of work, that deluded old freak," he says. "Anti-Semitic to his rotten core. Just ask [Pink Floyd bandmate] David Gilmour and his wife — they'll testify to it. He's been that way for the duration of his life and the duration of his career. It's nothing new. He's a coward. He's a hypocrite."
Draiman also goes on to admit that while he "can't argue with the artistry of a piece of work like The Wall", he feels Waters' behaviour undercuts any message that the band might have had.
"Everything that he was trying to convey and express in that piece of art, he has shown himself to be a hypocrite for," he says. "I was already losing my mind with him years ago when he was flying around a pig in his stadiums with the Star Of David on it. The guy is a bully. And he wouldn't even dare to engage with me. Because it's not about logic and reasoning and facts and reality to people like him. It's all about the narrative. It's all about their hate-fuelled anti-Semitic, just spite-filled narrative that they continue to fuel this narrative of demonization of our people, of the State of Israel, their inability to accept the fact that we even exist. He's a monster."
This isn't the first time that Draiman has condemned Waters publicly. In July 2023, when Disturbed performed in Tel Aviv, Draiman called out Waters on-stage.
“Fuck Roger Waters and all the rest of his BDS nazi assholes – every last single one of them,” he said, referring to a then-recent incident where Waters had been accused of wearing a Nazi-style uniform whilst performing in Berlin. “We don’t need that shit. We’ve survived worse than them and we will continue surviving worse than them.”
Waters has previously disputed accusations of anti-Semitism, clarifying that his comments are directed towards the state of Israel and not Judaism itself. Earlier this year, Eric Clapton expressed his support for Waters, saying the Pink Floyd man had suffered "terribly for his views."
Draiman's activism saw him get recognition from the Jerusalem Post and World Zionist Organization on June 3, when he was given an award for outstanding contribution[s] to the fight against antisemitism.
The singer has also said he has had to hire extra security due to backlash against his activism however, telling the Jewish Chronicle, “it is mainly keyboard warriors saying things like, ‘We know where you are’ and ‘we’re going to find you and your family’," he explains. "But when you report messages like these to the social media companies, they do nothing about it.”
In that interview, he also clarified his stance on the on-going Israel-Hamas war.
"I genuinely feel empathy for the Palestinian people," he said. "There is not a single Jew on this planet that does not celebrate life. We celebrate life. Hamas celebrates death and they need to be eradicated; not the Palestinians, Hamas. We need to save Gaza from Hamas.”
Watch the full interview with Linda Advocate below.
