by Brasil de Fato
British musician and founder of the legendary progressive rock band Pink Floyd, Roger Waters, posted a video on his social media channels expressing his support for the candidacy of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Waters harshly criticized far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, highlighting his ties to U.S. President Donald Trump.
“[Flávio] Bolsonaro, who is the son of an asshole, he’s an asshole himself, he comes from a long line of assholes. He is in cahoots with the United States of America, who want to steal everything you have in Brazil, not just the Amazon rainforest, but also any minerals or anything that you might have,” he said.
The musician also mentioned that he had met Lula, describing him as “a man who has worked for you all his life and you should let him go on working for you.” He further encouraged Brazilians to vote, calling for a “90%, 95%, or 100% turnout.”
“If you have a grandmother who can’t get out of her chair to go to the polling station, carry her. Put her on a donkey, put her in a car, take her to the polling station, and vote, vote, vote! Only you can save Brazil from the machinations of the gangsters who pretend to be the government in the United States of America, and their allies in Brazil like the Bolsonaros,” he said in the video.
Roger Waters performs at Maracana Stadium on October 24, 2018 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Raphael Dias/Getty Images)
Waters also brought up the case of Rio de Janeiro city council member Marielle Franco, who was murdered in 2018 by militia members Ronnie Lessa and Élcio de Queiroz. Other individuals linked to the assassination have ties to Flávio Bolsonaro. In 2023, Flávio Bolsonaro allocated a parliamentary amendment to a project led by Robson Calixto, a militia member convicted for his involvement in the death of the left-wing city councilwoman.
“They killed my friend Marielle Franco,” Waters recalled. “They murdered her. Do you remember that? I remember—I will never forget. For the sake of Marielle Franco, go out and vote this Sunday. Vote for Lula.”
This article was originally published by Brasil de Fato, and translated into English by Panamerican Dispatch. It can be read in its original form, in Portuguese, here.
The full text of Roger Waters's post:
You have an election on Sunday in Brazil. I love Brazil.
I’ve done many, many... My name is Roger Waters, by the way. I’m a musician. I’ve done many, many gigs there in Brazil.
I love your country. So the two candidates are Bolsonaro, who is the son of an arsehole. He’s an arsehole himself.
He comes from a long line of arseholes. He is in cahoots with the United States of America, who want to steal everything that you have in Brazil that’s of any value. Not just the Amazon forest, but also any minerals or anything that you might have.
They want to give it to the Trump family and to Gerard Kushner and those other arseholes in the ruling elite. Or Lula da Silva. I’ve met Lula da Silva.
I’ve looked into his eyes. This is an honest man. And he’s a man who has worked for you all his life and you should let him go on working for you.
Sunday, the important thing is turnout. Turnout. It was only 78% in the first round.
We need 90%, 95%, 100% turnout. If you have a grandmother who can’t get out of a chair to go to the polling station, carry her, put her on a donkey, put her in a car, take her to the polling station and vote, vote, vote. Only you can save Brazil from the machinations of the gangsters who pretend to be the government in the United States of America and their allies in Brazil, like the Bolsonaros.
OK, please, please, please remember. They killed my friend Mariella Franco. They murdered her.
Do you remember that? I do. I will never forget. For Mariella Franco, go and vote on Sunday.
Vote for Lula.