Radiohead’s Thom Yorke Walks Off Stage After Pro-Palestinian Heckling in Melbourne

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke abruptly left the stage during his solo concert in Melbourne on Wednesday after being heckled by a pro-Palestinian protester, CNN reports.

The incident, which was captured on video circulating on social media, saw the protester shout about the rising death toll in Gaza and “the Israeli genocide of Gaza” towards the stage at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.

The protester then addressed Yorke directly, questioning his silence on the conflict and asking, “How could you be silent?”

In response, Yorke challenged the heckler to come onstage and voice their concerns directly, stating, “Come up here and say that. Right here. Come on. Come up on the fking stage and say what you want to say.”

He continued, pointing at the heckler, “Don’t stand there like a coward. Come here and say it.”

After further expletive-laden remarks, Yorke declared, “OK, you do. See you later then,” before walking off the stage.

He later returned to perform Radiohead’s 1997 hit “Karma Police,” according to social media posts.

This is not the first time Radiohead has faced criticism for its performances in Israel. In 2017, the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) organization urged the band to boycott Israel over its policies in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The Radiohead Fans for Palestine group also wrote open letters to the band, urging them to reconsider their stance and cancel their performance in Tel Aviv.