• In response to criticism of the musician’s position on the Ukraine war, Roger Waters, the co-founder of Pink Floyd, has cancelled scheduled performances in Poland.
• Live Nation Poland, the concert’s promoter, confirmed the cancellation but provided no explanation.
• Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine, received an open letter from Waters that started the uproar.

In response to criticism of the musician’s position on the Ukraine war, Roger Waters, the co-founder of Pink Floyd, has cancelled scheduled performances in Poland.

Live Nation Poland, the concert’s promoter, confirmed the cancellation but provided no explanation. Olena Zelenska, the first lady of Ukraine, received an open letter from Waters that started the uproar.

He claimed that “radical nationalists” in Ukraine “had led your nation to this tragic war.”

Without mentioning Russia’s role in the conflict, he accused her husband, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, of breaking his election campaign commitment to restore peace to the Donbas region.

Mrs. Zelenska responded by claiming on Twitter that Russia invaded Ukraine and is now wreaking havoc and murdering residents there. Roger Waters, you ought to request peace from the leader of a different nation, she wrote.

Ukasz Wantuch, a city councillor for Krakow, was prompted by Mr. Water’s open letter to call for a boycott of the concerts.

A motion to designate Mr. Waters persona non grata has been developed by city council members and will be voted on at a meeting on September 28.

“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 councillors] express outrage at the theses and statements made by Mr Roger Waters in connection with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” the resolution states.

In response, Mr. Waters, who is presently on tour in the US, wrote on Facebook, “Hey ukasz wantuch, leave those kiddies alone,” a play on the words of the well-known Pink Floyd song Another Brick in the Wall.

He refuted a prior media claim that he or his management had cancelled the shows on their own, and he charged Mr. Wantuch with “draconian censorship” of his output.

When asked if the cancellation was related to Mr. Waters’ remarks, a spokeswoman for the Krakow venue, Tauron Arena, responded, “No comment.”

Mr. Zelensky has had a steadfast ally in the Polish administration. It has persuaded the European Union to impose more stringent sanctions against Russia and transferred hundreds of Soviet-era tanks and other armaments to Ukraine.

Poland’s borders were opened to millions of Ukrainian women and children fleeing the violence in February after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Approximately 1.4 million Ukrainians have applied for temporary protection in neighbouring Poland, according to the UNHCR, the agency for refugees at the United Nations.

Poles have hosted hundreds of thousands of refugees in their own homes.

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