Eric Clapton and Roger Waters have both publicly endorsed independent candidate Andrew Feinstein for the upcoming general UK election on July 4th, 2024.
Sharing their support on social media, Clapton explained that he will stand by Feinstein “along with my dear friend Roger Waters” in support of “his fight for the children of Gaza, for the freedom of the people of Palestine, and for the soul of the human race… Against the genocide in Gaza… For love and Truth.”
Quoting the post on his own profile, Waters added: “El, my dear friend we stand together. Love you brother.”
The former South African Member of Parliament recently announced his consideration of running an independent candidate against Labour leader Keir Starmer in the Holborn and St Pancras constituency in the 2024 UK general election.
Feinstein has been attracting support from local progressive groups due to his vocal critique of Starmer and his position on issues such as conflict in the Middle East and military interventions. He has previously described himself as a socialist, anti-racist, and anti-militarist and is actively involved in various progressive organisations, including Stop the War and Palestine Action.
Clapton has been public about his opinion on Israel in recent times, claiming that he has become more aware of such issues because of his daughters. In a recent interview, he said: “Two of my girls are in university, and it’s in their face, ‘Do you know what’s going on?’ So they’re active, and I was so enthused by what was going on in Columbia and everywhere.”
The House Committee on Education also investigated previous protests at Columbia, a move Clapton said he “couldn’t believe”. He insinuated that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee was behind the investigation, saying, “It’s AIPAC, it’s the lobby. Israel is running the show. Israel is running the world.”
At the same time, Clapton also expressed support for Waters, who had a German show cancelled in 2023 and has been at the centre of allegations of antisemitism, saying, “I love Roger. I love him. We are brothers and he goes his way about it, and it takes a lot of guts, and he suffers from it terribly. I’ve seen him sit on the window ledge in tears and say ‘It’s morning here in Manhattan and I’m in tears again’.”
