Thom Yorke, the lead singer for the band Radiohead, was harassed by an anti-Israel protester on Wednesday during a solo concert in Melbourne, Australia. In videos circulating online, a member of the audience could be heard yelling at the British singer to condemn "the Israeli genocide of Gaza.” The heckler added: "How could you be silent?" Yorke did not appreciate the heckling and challenged the heckler: "Come up here and say that. Right here. Come on. Come up on the ****** stage and say what you want to say. “Don’t stand there like a coward. Come here and say it.” He added: "Come on. You want to p*ss on everybody’s night? Come on." At that point, the singer said: “OK, you do. See you later then,” put down his guitar, and walked off stage. Yorke returned a short time later to continue his performance, while the heckler was ejected from the concert. Related articles: The Jewish org. turning in Israel haters to the Trump admin. White House gives Jewish-themed jibe to pro-Palestinian protester ICE arrests Palestinian Columbia anti-Israel protest leader Anti-Israel protesters storm building at Barnard College Radiohead has gotten heat from the anti-Israel crowd in the past. In 2017, it decided to ignore calls from the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and held a concert in Tel Aviv. At the time, Yorke commented : "All of this creates divisive energy. You're not bringing people together. You're not encouraging dialogue or a sense of understanding. It's such an extraordinary waste of energy. Energy that could be used in a more positive way." Earlier this year, Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood refused pressure from BDS to cancel his tour with Israeli musician Dudu Tassa. Responding to the boycott calls, Greenwood wrote on X, “I think an artistic project that combines Arab and Jewish musicians is worthwhile. And one that reminds everyone that the Jewish cultural roots in countries like Iraq and Yemen go back for thousands of years, is also important.” “Others choose to believe this kind of project is unjustifiable and are urging the silence of this – or any – artistic effort made by Israeli Jews. But I can’t join that call: The silencing of Israeli filmmakers/musicians/dancers when their work tours abroad – especially when it’s at the urging of their fellow western filmmakers/musicians/artists – feels unprogressive to me, not least because it’s these people that are invariably the most progressive members of any society,” he added.
