Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has shared a statement about Israel and its ongoing assault on Gaza.
It sees the artist publicly address an incident that took place last year when a pro-Palestine concertgoer at one of Yorke’s solo live shows shouted at him about Israel’s actions. Yorke had previously been subject to significant criticism for his and Radiohead’s decision to perform in Israel and ignore Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) actions.
In the statement shared to social media, Yorke said: “Some guy shouting at me from the dark last year when I was picking up a guitar to sing the final song alone in front of 9000 people in Melbourne didn’t really seem like the best moment to discuss the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Afterwards, I remained in shock that my supposed silence was somehow being taken as complicity, and I struggled to find an adequate way to respond to this and to carry on with the rest of the shows on the tour.”
Yorke continued by voicing his opposition to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the administration that he oversees. “I think Netanyahu and his crew of extremists are totally out of control and need to be stopped, and that the international community should put all the pressure it can on them to cease,” he added. “Their excuse of self-defence has long since worn thin and has been replaced by a transparent desire to take control of Gaza and the West Bank permanently.”
Further calling the current blockade of aid to displaced Palestinian people “horrific”, he also condemned Hamas for its actions on October 7, 2023, which triggered Israel’s latest military offensive in Gaza. “Why did Hamas choose the truly horrific acts of October 7th? The answer seems obvious, and I believe Hamas chooses too to hide behind the suffering of its people, in an equally cynical fashion for their own purposes.”
Much of the rest of Yorke’s lengthy statement takes aim at people on social media who have, in his view, led “witch-hunts on either side pressurising artists and whoever they feel like that week to make statements”. He added that these actions “do very little except heighten the tension, fear and over-simplification of what are complex problems that merit face-to-face debate by people who genuinely wish the killing to stop and an understanding to be found”.
Concluding his statement, Yorke wrote: “I sympathise completely with the desire to ‘do something’ when we are witnessing such horrific suffering on our devices every day. It completely makes sense. But I now think it is a dangerous illusion to believe reposting, or one or two-line messages are meaningful, especially if it is to condemn your fellow human beings. There are unintended consequences.”
Read the full statement here.
Yorke’s Radiohead bandmate Jonny Greenwood has recently faced boycott calls following his decision to continue playing shows in Israel with Israeli collaborator Dudu Tassa amid Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza. Planned gigs in London and Bristol were ultimately pulled following pressure from the BDS and Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) movements.
