Roger Waters Faces UK Probe Over Banned Palestine Action Endorsement
You probably need a hand sorting this one out, so here’s the lowdown. Former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters—yes, the man behind “Another Brick in the Wall”—is now under a UK legal microscope for openly backing Palestine Action, the group that ministers recently slapped with an extremist proscription. You may have missed the memo, but in late 2023 the Home Office declared Palestine Action off-limits under the Terrorism Act 2000, so anyone promoting or assisting it can be looking at serious jail time.
Waters stirred the pot on July 10 by sharing a link on X (formerly Twitter) to Palestine Action’s official site and urging his millions of followers to “take action.” That post has since become Exhibit A in a developing Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) review. According to insiders at the CPS cited by the New York Post and confirmed by a BBC News briefing, prosecutors are weighing whether his endorsement amounts to “encouraging or assisting proscribed activities.” If convicted, he could face up to 10 years behind bars—hardly your average social-media scandal.
In typical Waters fashion, he’s fought back with free-speech claims. The Guardian reports his legal team argues a musician’s political expression shouldn’t be equated with incitement to violence. Meanwhile, Scotland Yard confirms they’ve received a referral and are conducting preliminary inquiries—though officers stress that no charges have been filed yet. So, yes, this is still in the “could happen” stage rather than “locked up and cellmates.”
To bring you fully up to speed: Palestine Action gained notoriety for targeting arms-manufacturing sites linked to Israeli defense contracts. After a string of high-profile protests—some ending in property damage—the government stepped in and applied a proscription last December. That move effectively criminalizes any support, financial or otherwise, for the group. Waters’ tweet falls squarely into the “support” category by the letter of the law.
Legal experts have been quick to weigh in. Criminal barrister Amelia Foreman, quoted in both The Guardian and on the New York Post feed, warns that this could set a worrying precedent: “If political speech is treated as proscribed activity, advocacy lines blur into legal peril.” Waters, ever the provocateur, has publicly scoffed at the idea, dubbing it a “draconian gag.”
Of course, you might be wondering what happens next. The CPS says it will decide by early autumn whether to proceed. In the meantime, expect more media fireworks as Waters amps up his defense tour. Hopefully that wasn’t too complicated. Well, now you finally understand—glad I could clear that up for you.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post, BBC News, The Guardian
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
