Thom Yorke walks offstage after being confronted by pro-Palestine protester
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Thom Yorke, the lead singer of Radiohead, left the stage during a solo performance in Melbourne after being interrupted by a protester supporting Palestine.
Video captured by an audience member displays a man confronting Yorke, shouting about the "Israeli genocide in Gaza" and the rising number of casualties, claiming that half of them were children.
Yorke was spotted standing and listening attentively before inviting the heckler to "come up on stage" to share their thoughts.
"Stop just standing there and be brave enough to say it," he said. "If you want to ruin everyone's evening, go ahead and do it. I'll catch you later."
He took off his guitar and quickly stepped off the stage for a moment.
Some people in the crowd were heard booing, while another fan yelled out, "Be quiet already!"
Yorke came back soon after the event to perform Radiohead's track "Karma Police," which was released in 1997.
The Independent has reached out to Yorke's spokesperson for a response.
A concert attendee named Elly Brus mentioned to the BBC that security removed the heckler, but he kept interacting with people outside the venue.
The event occurred towards the conclusion of the performance at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, which was one of two concerts happening in Melbourne as part of Yorke's Everything tour.
The performances include a wide-ranging selection of solo works as well as tracks from his bands Radiohead and The Smile.
Yorke is set to take the stage next at the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House on Friday, November 1, and Saturday, November 2.
Yorke and his fellow band members from Radiohead have faced criticism in the past for choosing to keep their concerts scheduled in Israel.
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The group's connection to the country dates back to their very first single, "Creep." Although it struggled to gain traction in other places, it found significant success on Israeli radio, where it was played frequently.
In 2017, they performed in Tel Aviv, ignoring the efforts of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which advocated for pro-Palestine initiatives.
In response to criticism from British filmmaker and BDS advocate Ken Loach, who penned an opinion piece for The Independent encouraging Radiohead to participate in the boycott, Yorke stated: “Performing in a country doesn't mean that I support its government."
"We've been performing in Israel for more than 20 years, despite changes in government, some of which have been more progressive than others—just like in the United States. We don't support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu any more than we do Donald Trump, yet we still continue to perform in America."
Since Israel began its operation to eliminate Hamas following the group's assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities and 251 individuals being kidnapped, over 43,160 people have lost their lives in Gaza. This includes a significant number of women, children, and infants.
Earlier this year, supporters of Palestine criticized Yorke's bandmate, Jonny Greenwood, for allegedly engaging in "artwashing" during his performance with Israeli-Arab musician Dudu Tassa in Tel Aviv.
Greenwood, 52, who is married to Israeli artist Sharona Katan, criticized what he views as an effort to suppress artistic expressions from Israeli Jews. He expressed concern over those trying to silence such efforts and those who are now attributing a harmful hidden agenda to the band's presence.
In his message released on June 4, he expressed that "nothing is more crucial than putting an end to the death and suffering happening all around us. It’s hard to see how art can hold the same importance in this situation. However, remaining inactive feels even worse. Additionally, shutting down Israeli artists simply for being Jewish and from Israel doesn't seem like a productive way to foster dialogue between both sides in this seemingly never-ending conflict."
