Thom Yorke storms off stage and confronts Pro-Palestine heckler as Australia gig derailed by lone protestor
Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke briefly walked off stage during a solo concert in Melbourne on Wednesday night after a heated exchange with a pro-Palestine protester.
The incident occurred at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, where Yorke was performing as part of his Everything tour.
According to footage captured by concert-goers, a man in the crowd shouted at Yorke about “the Israeli genocide of Gaza” and the death toll, claiming that “half of them were children”.
Yorke responded by challenging the heckler to “hop up on the f***ing stage and say what you wanna say”.
The protester then yelled: “How many dead children will it take for you to condemn the genocide in Gaza?”
“OK, you do it, see you later then,” Yorke replied before removing his guitar and leaving the stage.
“Don’t stand there like a coward,come here and say it!”
Radiohead’s Thom Yorke responded to an anti-Israel hackler who kept yelling about Gaza throughout his show in Melbourne today.
Yorke left the stage and came back after the crowd kicked out the protester. pic.twitter.com/a5yhtBWpTo
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) October 30, 2024
The crowd could be heard booing the protester, with one fan shouting: “Shut the f*** up, man”.
Yorke returned to the stage a few minutes later to perform Radiohead’s 1997 hit “Karma Police” to cheers from the audience. Concert-goer Elly Brus told the BBC that the protester “did not have support” from the crowd and was escorted away by security.
She added that he “continued to engage with people outside the venue as well”. The incident occurred near the end of Yorke’s second Melbourne show. He is scheduled to perform at the Sydney Opera House forecourt on Friday and Saturday.
Radiohead has a long history with Israel, with their early hit Creep first finding success on Israeli radio.
The band has faced pressure to boycott Israel over its policies towards Palestinians. In 2017, Radiohead defied calls to cancel a Tel Aviv concert, with Yorke defending their decision.
“Playing in a country isn’t the same as endorsing its government,” Yorke stated at the time. “We’ve played in Israel for over 20 years through a succession of governments, some more liberal than others. As we have in America. We don’t endorse Netanyahu any more than Trump, but we still play in America.”
Yorke has previously criticised the pro-Palestine Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Earlier this year, Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood faced accusations of “art-washing genocide” for performing with Israeli artist Dudu Tassa in Tel Aviv.
The Israel-Gaza conflict has escalated since Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage. In response, Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, more than 43,160 people have been killed since then, including thousands of women and children.
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Both sides deny accusations of breaking the laws of war.
The ongoing conflict has intensified pressure on artists like Yorke to take a stance.
2However, Yorke maintains that music should transcend political boundaries.
“Music, art and academia is about crossing borders not building them, about open minds not closed ones, about shared humanity, dialogue and freedom of expression,” Yorke previously stated on social media.