Thom Yorke, lead singer of Radiohead, abruptly left the stage during a solo concert in Melbourne, Australia, on Wednesday after being heckled by a pro-Palestinian protester. The incident took place at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, where a concert-goer shouted about the escalating death toll in Gaza and accused the Israeli government of committing genocide.
The Incident
Video footage shared on social media captured the tense exchange, with the protester questioning Yorke, “How could you be silent” regarding the ongoing conflict. In response, Yorke invited the individual to join him on stage, stating, “Come up here and say that. Right here. Come on. Come up on the fking stage and say what you want to say.**”
Yorke continued to challenge the heckler, saying, “Don’t stand there like a coward. Come here and say it. You want to piss on everybody’s night? Come on,” before ultimately deciding to leave the stage. However, he returned shortly afterward to perform Radiohead’s classic hit “Karma Police.”
Background on Controversies
This isn’t the first time Yorke and Radiohead have faced scrutiny over their stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict. In 2017, the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement urged the band to boycott Israel following concerns about its actions in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Activists, including Radiohead Fans for Palestine, wrote open letters imploring the band to reconsider their plans to perform in Israel, citing the treatment of Palestinians.
In response to these calls, Yorke defended the band’s decision, stating that “playing in a country is not the same as endorsing its government” and emphasized that music is about “crossing borders, not building them.”
Venue Response
CNN has reached out to Arts Centre Melbourne, the venue hosting the concert, for a comment regarding the incident.