According to billboard.com, Roger Waters denied reports from Polish media saying that he cancelled his Poland shows after outrage over his stance on Russia’s war against Ukraine. Saying that, “We haven’t, if my forthcoming concerts in Krakow are canceled, it will be a sad loss for me, because I have been looking forward to sharing my message of love with the people of Poland, something I have been doing on many tours over a career that has lasted in excess of fifty years. And also, regrettably, it will deny the people of Krakow the opportunity to see my current show, ‘This Is Not a Drill,’ which is an important addition to a lifetime’s body of work. His draconian censoring of my work will deny them the opportunity to make up their own minds.”

Contrary to his statement, an official with the Tauron Arena in Krakow, where the concerts were supposed to take place said that the concert were no longer happening. “Roger Waters’ manager decided to withdraw … without giving any reason,” Lukasz Pytko from Tauron Arena Krakow stated on Saturday in comments posted by Polish media outlets. On top of that, the website for Waters’ This Is Not a Drill concert tour made no mention of the Krakow concerts that were previously scheduled for April 21st and 22nd.

City councilors in Krakow are expected to vote next week on a proposal to name Waters as a persona non grate, quoting “indignation” over Waters’ stance on the war in Ukraine. Waters previously wrote an open letter to the Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska earlier in this month where he blamed “extreme nationalists” in Ukraine for having “set your country on the path to this disastrous war.” He went on to criticize the West for giving Ukraine weapons, sending blame towards Washington in particular. He also accused NATO of provoking Russia.

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