Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has shared a lengthy post explaining his stance towards the conflict between Israel and Palestine. He spoke out on the conflict, after he clashed with a protester during a solo show last October and left the stage abruptly when the person in the crowd interrupted his set.
He apparently came to the defense of his bandmate Jonny Greenwood. In his statement, he said “All I see in a lifetime’s worth of work with my fellow musicians and artists is a pushing against such things, trying to create work that goes beyond what it means to be controlled, coerced, threatened, to suffer, to be intimidated… and instead to encourage critical thinking beyond borders, the commonality of love and experience and free creative expression.”
While this marks the first time the alt-rock icon has publicly spoken out on the Israel-Hamas war, it is worth noting that Radiohead did encounter backlash in 2017 when they played a show in Israel despite protests urging them to cancel the gig.
Among those pressuring the band to back out of the live show – which was held at Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv – were Roger Waters, Thurston Moore, Young Fathers and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who all signed an open letter issued by Artists For Palestine UK.
