Montreal – July 15, 2022 – Today, Roger Waters, former member of iconic rock band Pink Floyd, participated in an event endorsed by Samidoun, an organization with documented ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), an organization designated by Canada as a terrorist group. Federation CJA, Hillel Montreal, and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) are deeply troubled by the musician’s lack of judgement in lending his voice to such an event.

“We are very concerned that a celebrity with a following as big as Roger Waters’ would participate in an event supported by organizations with documented ties to terrorists such as Samidoun,” said CIJA Quebec Vice President Eta Yudin. “Advocating for peace in the Middle East is laudable. Lending energy to organizations and individuals with ties to terror groups is unacceptable.” 

Waters spoke at an event aimed at Montreal-area university students titled, “Standing Up for Student Solidarity with Palestine.” The event was endorsed and promoted by Samidoun, an organization with ties to Canadian-listed terror group PFLP. 

Samidoun regularly and publicly celebrates its ties to the PFLP. 

In 2016, the PFLP issued an official statement of gratitude to Samidoun for its support of convicted PFLP terrorists. 

In December 2017, Samidoun held a celebration of the PFLP’s 50th anniversary. PFLP flags are regularly and prominently featured in Samidoun events. 

In February 2021, the government of Israel designated Samidoun as a terrorist organization, citing its links to the PFLP’s anti-Israel propaganda efforts, fundraising, and recruiting activities. 

As of 2022, payment providers such as PayPal, Mastercard, Visa and American Express have all blocked donations to Samidoun due to its ties to the PFLP. 

Samidoun has used its platform to call for the release of convicted terrorists such as PFLP recruiter Ubai Aboudi and Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, an accomplice in the assassination of two US and Israeli diplomats in Paris in 1984. 

“Imagine how Jewish students feel when they learn that an event aimed at young Montrealers is supported and endorsed by hateful organization such as Samidoun,” said Hillel Montreal in a statement. 

“We in the Jewish community are troubled by Waters’ decision to lend his voice to an event supported by such a group,” said Federation CJA CEO Yair Szlak. “If Waters wants to promote peace in the Middle East, he should support one of the many initiatives that bring Jews and Arabs together rather than supporting organizations that drive them apart and move us further from peace. “  

For more information about initiatives that bring Jews and Arabs together, please visit www.seekpeaceandpursueit.ca. 

About Federation CJA

For over one hundred years, Federation CJA has been at the heart of the organized Jewish community in Montreal. In partnership with a vast network of agencies and organizations locally, nationally, and internationally, Federation CJA builds and sustains this community by providing leadership and by supporting the delivery of services and programs to care for the vulnerable and those in need, to ensure a bright Jewish future, to represent communal interests, and to positively affect issues in the wider society.

Media Contact:

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