In a letter sent to a concerned company shareholder on Tuesday, Citibank refuted a report that it was sponsoring an upcoming tour by prominent anti-Israel activist and ex-Pink Floyd rock star Roger Waters.
By: Barney Breen-Portnoy/The Algemeiner
“We have no plans to work with this artist in the future,” a spokeswoman for the investment banking and financial services firm said in the email, which was seen by The Algemeiner.
Last week, the New York Post’s Page Six reported that American Express had declined to pay $4 million to sponsor Waters’ 2017 “Us + Them” North American Tour due to his stance on Israel. However, the Page Six report noted, the tour would instead be sponsored by Citi.
In a response to a complaint filed by an unnamed company shareholder, a Citi public affairs official said, “I want to let you know that Citi is not a sponsor of Roger Waters’ upcoming tour. Two weeks ago, Citi offered a limited time pre-sale of tickets for cardmembers for select shows, as we do for thousands of concerts by different artists every year. While advertised as the ‘official card’ for payment purposes, the pre-sale was in no way an endorsement of the artist’s personal views. The pre-sale has ended and we have no plans to work with this artist in the future.”
In recent years, Waters has spoken out against Israel’s West Bank security barrier and become a vocal proponent of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Earlier this year, the 73-year-old Waters was reportedly dating Palestinian activist Rula Jebreal. However, in September, it was reported that the two had gone their separate ways.
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