Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke walked off stage on Wednesday after being interrupted by a pro-Palestine protester during a gig in Melbourne.
Footage taken by fans showed a man shouting comments at Yorke, including references to “the Israeli genocide of Gaza” and the tragic toll of children among the casualties.
The British musician responded: “Come up here and say that. Right here, come on. Hop up on the fucking stage and say what you wanna say.
“Don’t stand there like a coward, come here and say it. You want to piss on everybody’s night?”
To which the protester then shouted: “How many dead children will it take for you to condemn the genocide in Gaza?”
Yorke responded, “OK, you do it, see you later then”, and walked offstage.
After a few minutes, Thom Yorke returned to close the gig with Radiohead’s classic Karma Police.
The incident took place near the end of his performance at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, wrapping up the second night of his Everything tour stop in Melbourne.
The tour showcases a mix of Yorke’s solo work along with selections from Radiohead and The Smile. Next, he’s set to perform at the Sydney Opera House forecourt on 1 and 2 November.
Yorke has previously addressed pro-Palestine Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) advocates, defending Radiohead’s 2017 performance in Tel Aviv amid calls for an artistic boycott of Israel.
That same year, figures like British director Ken Loach criticised the band for not canceling their Israeli show. Responding on X, Yorke clarified: “Playing in a country isn’t the same as endorsing the government.
“We’ve played in Israel for over 20 years... some governments more liberal than others. As we have in America. We don’t endorse Netanyahu any more than Trump, but we still play in America.”
@makzym8 Melbourne night 2. Guy then got got by the Karma Police #radiohead #thomyorke #melbourne
♬ original sound - Maxim
Radiohead has longstanding ties to Israel, with their early success in the region stemming from Israeli radio play of their hit Creep.
Despite this history, calls for the band to join a cultural boycott of Israel have increased over the past year.
In May, Radiohead and The Smile’s Jonny Greenwood faced backlash after performing in Tel Aviv with Israeli musician Dudu Tassa, with critics from the BDS movement accusing him of “artwashing genocide.”
In a statement posted on social media, Greenwood—who is married to Israeli visual artist Sharona Katan and has previously collaborated with Israeli artists—expressed his disappointment over “the silencing of this – or any – artistic effort made by Israeli Jews.
“No art is as ‘important’ as stopping all the death and suffering around us. How can it be? But doing nothing seems like a worse option.
“And silencing Israeli artists for being born Jewish in Israel doesn’t seem like any way to reach an understanding between the two sides of this apparently endless conflict.”
