Radiohead singer Yorke leaves stage after anti-Israel activist disrupts Australia concert

British singer Thom Yorke of the band Radiohead left the stage where he was performing after an anti-Israel activist disturbed his concert in Melbourne, Australia, the Jewish Chronicle reported on Friday.

In a video shared on 𝕏, the anti-Israel activist could be heard ranting about “Israeli genocide in Gaza.”

Thom Yorke of @radiohead responding to someone protesting collective punishment of Palestinians (that Radiohead routinely white washes) with collective punishment of thousands of his fans. Walking off stage blaming one protestor. pic.twitter.com/TntYu3cbpq

— Rafael Shimunov ✡️ 🍉 (@rafaelshimunov) October 30, 2024

Yorke initially responded to the heckler by calling him a coward and asking him to come on stage.

However, as the disturbance continued, Yorke eventually decided to leave for a few minutes to cool his emotions, according to the report. Shortly afterward, he returned to the stage to deliver his final song of the concert.

The majority of the audience in Melbourne did not appear to support the anti-Israel heckler.

“He was escorted away by security. He then continued to engage with people outside the venue as well,” a female audience member told the Jewish Chronicle.

After the concert, Yorke wrote on his 𝕏 account that his band had been performing in Israel for more than 20 years and would continue doing so despite pressure from the anti-Israel Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement.

“Playing in a country isn't the same as endorsing its government,” he wrote. “We don't endorse Netanyahu any more than Trump, but we still play in America. Music, art, and academia are about crossing borders, not building them.”

Musicians who refuse to boycott Israel are frequently accused of “whitewashing” alleged Israeli “war crimes.”

British singer and former Pink Floyd vocalist Roger Waters has emerged as one of the most vocal anti-Israel and pro-BDS voices in pop music.

In September, Waters used his Instagram account to attack the Australian musician Nick Cave for performing in the Jewish state.

"It's ok to be wrong mate. Obviously, you not opposing Genocide is a biggy? But hey! Nobody's perfect? Just say you're sorry. Not to me, and Brian, we don't give a ****. No, say you're sorry to the Palestinians. Join BDS and we'll let bygones be bygones. Love, R," Waters wrote, addressing Cave in a message to his 1.3 million followers on Instagram.

His post continued: "That act – singing for your supper in Israel, Nick – that act serves to whitewash the 75-year-old Zionist Israeli occupation, land theft, apartheid, and genocide of our people, Nick. Please, please, please follow the example of Roger Waters and Brian Eno and many, many thousands of others who are active in the BDS movement. Nick, pay attention," Waters stated.

In an interview with Reason Magazine, Cave later stated that he has an “abiding love” for Israel and that he doesn't believe music should be used as a tool to penalize "ordinary people because of the acts of their government."

In July, during an interview with broadcaster Piers Morgan, Waters claimed there was “no evidence” that Hamas terrorists massacred and raped Israeli women during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack.