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Roger Waters is denying reports he canceled his upcoming shows in Poland, as Krakow city councilors prepare to declare him persona non grata.
Waters made headlines this month for his controversial stance on the war between Russia and Ukraine, blaming “extreme nationalists” in Ukraine for setting the “country on the path to this disastrous war” in a letter sent to Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska. Zelenska later took to Twitter to denounce Waters’ claims, saying he should take up the matter of peace with Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, instead.
Recently, Polish media outlets reported his two-night appearance at Tauron Arena in Krakow in April has been canceled. An official from the venue reportedly said “Roger Waters’ manager decided to withdraw … without giving any reason.”
In a Saturday evening Facebook post, the Pink Floyd co-founder denied the reports, calling out two Polish media outlets specifically for their reporting. “Your papers are wrong in their assertions that either, I or my management, has canceled my forthcoming shows in Krakow, we haven’t.” Waters went on to say on the verified account that a cancellation would be “a sad loss for me, because I have been looking forward to sharing my message of love with the people of Poland.”
He also called out Krakow city councilor Łukasz Wantuch, who has openly opposed the concerts, even urging fans to boycott the show, after Waters’ comments on the war.
Krakow city councilors have also gone as far as to draft a resolution declaring Waters a persona non grata in Poland, which will be voted on later this week, the BBC reported. “Taking into account Russia’s criminal attack on Ukraine as well as the increasing number of war crimes committed by Russian soldiers that are coming to light, [the councilors] express outrage at the theses and statements made by Mr. Roger Waters in connection with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” the resolution reads.
Waters acknowledged the resolution in his statement, saying he has worked his entire life “in the service of human rights,” and is facing the penalty unfairly. He claims he’s made “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.”
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Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues after its forces launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 — the first major land conflict in Europe in decades. The invasion, ordered by Putin, has drawn condemnation around the world and increasingly severe economic sanctions against Russia.
Details of the fighting change by the day, but thousands of civilians have already been reported dead or wounded, including children. Millions of Ukrainians have also fled, the United Nations says.
“You don’t know where to go, where to run, who you have to call. This is just panic,” Liliya Marynchak, a 45-year-old teacher in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, told PEOPLE of the moment her city was bombed — one of the numerous accounts of bombardment by the Russians.
The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE’s complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.
