Radiohead's frontman Thom Yorke temporarily left the stage during an Australian concert after a heated exchange with a pro-Palestinian heckler. Yorke was performing a solo show on Wednesday night in Melbourne when a concert-goer started criticizing him about the rising death toll in Gaza.
"How many dead children will it take for you to condemn the genocide in Gaza?" the heckler shouted. Yorke responded coldly, accusing the man of spoiling the show for other fans and inviting him to come up on stage.
"Don't stand there like a coward, come here and say it. You want to ruin everybody's night," Yorke retorted. Yorke briefly exited the stage as the crowd jeered the heckler, but returned shortly to perform the final song of the night—Radiohead's 1997 hit "Karma Police."
In 2017, Radiohead faced criticism from pro-Palestinian activists for performing a concert in Tel Aviv. Yorke defended the decision on Twitter, stating, "Playing in a country isn't the same as endorsing its government. We've played in Israel for over 20 years through various governments, some more liberal than others. Just as we do in America." He further clarified that they do not support Netanyahu any more than they support Trump, but they continue to perform in America.
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