Near the end of his show at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, someone in the audience interrupted him during his song “Karma Police.” Fans said the person was a pro-Palestine protester.
Yorke stopped the performance to listen to the protester and then challenged him, saying, “Come up and say that. Right here… But don’t stand there like a coward.” He added, “You want to ruin everybody’s night? Come on. OK, you do. See you later then,” and left the stage.
After the footage was shared online, fans talked about what happened on social media. Some said the protester was shouting messages supporting Gaza against Israel. Others mentioned that Yorke came back to finish the song later, and many fans cheered for him to return.
Yorke has not publicly commented on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. However, in 2017, Radiohead faced criticism for performing in Israel despite calls to cancel the concert. The show went ahead in Tel Aviv, which some people found disrespectful to the Palestinian people.
In response to the criticism, Yorke said that performing in a country doesn’t mean you support its government. He also had a Twitter argument with director Ken Loach, who asked if the band would “stand with the oppressed or the oppressor?”
At that time, drummer Philip Selway said that playing the show felt like the right choice, and they weren’t worried about losing fans.
In 2017, there was a protest at Glastonbury where people tried to show Palestinian flags during Radiohead’s set. The Tel Aviv concert was the last show of their three-month tour that year.
Recently, Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead faced backlash for performing in Tel Aviv after joining protests asking for the release of hostages in Gaza. Activists accused him of “artwashing genocide.”
