Pink Floyd have announced that they are removing their music from streaming services in Russia and Belarus.
In a statement released on social media, the band condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and confirmed that all of the band’s music from 1987 onwards will no longer be available to stream in the two countries.
Former Pink Floyd singer and guitarist David Gilmour also confirmed none of his solo material would be made available either, as they looked to show solidarity with Ukraine.
Pink Floyd’s statement read: “To stand with the world in strongly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the works of Pink Floyd, from 1987 onwards, and all of David Gilmour’s solo recordings are being removed from all digital music providers in Russia and Belarus from today.”
Gilmour, who has Ukrainian family, separately tweeted: “Russian soldiers, stop killing your brothers. There will be no winners in this war. My daughter-in-law is Ukrainian and my grand-daughters want to visit and know their beautiful country. Stop this before it is all destroyed. Putin must go.”
Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters recently penned an open letter regarding the conflict. Fiercely criticising Russia and Vladimir Putin, he wrote: “I am disgusted by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. It is a criminal mistake in my opinion, the act of a gangster.”
He continued: “There must be an immediate ceasefire. I regret that Western governments are fuelling the fire that will destroy your beautiful country by pouring arms into Ukraine instead of engaging in the diplomacy that will be necessary to stop the slaughter.”
Since the start of the conflict, numerous artists such as Elton John and Young Thug have criticised Russia’s invasion and many acts have cancelled tours of the country including Franz Ferdinand, Louis Tomlinson and Green Day.
The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.
