High Court rules on meaning of Roger Waters’ statement about producer of our documentary, John Ware

The High Court in London has today ruled on the meaning of Roger Waters’ statement about John Ware, the producer of our documentary, The Dark Side of Roger Waters.

The renowned investigative journalist John Ware sued Mr Waters and the channel Al Jazeera for defamation after Mr Waters called Mr Ware a “lying, conniving Zionist mouthpiece” and accused Mr Ware of “cheerleading the genocide of Palestinians” during an interview on Al Jazeera.

The animus is believed to have been triggered by our documentary, The Dark Side of Roger Waters, which Mr Ware produced and presented. The documentary investigated past conduct by Mr Waters towards individual Jewish people and the Jewish community more generally, revelling previously unknown e-mails and interactions.

Mr Waters repudiated the documentary, but did not question the veracity of its findings.

The Hon. Mrs Justice Jennifer Eady DBE found that Mr Waters’ assertion that Mr Ware is a ’cheerleader of genocide’ was a statement of fact, as opposed to an honest opinion, which will make it harder for Mr Waters and Al Jazeera to defend.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism: “We welcome this judgment on the meaning of Roger Waters’ attack on John Ware, who presented and produced our documentary, The Dark Side of Roger Waters, which questioned Mr Waters’ history of inflammatory conduct towards Jewish people.

“The Judge held that accusing someone alleging antisemitism as being a ‘cheerleader for genocide’ is making a defamatory claim which he either has to put up or shut up about. We have every confidence that there are no bricks in this particular wall.

“Mr Waters said that his late mother told him to read around the subject; maybe he should start by reading the judgment.”