Thom Yorke: Radiohead frontman 'storms off' stage after being heckled by pro-Palestine protester in Australia

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Thom Yorke has ‘stormed off’ the stage after being heckled by an alleged pro-Palestine protester.

The Radiohead frontman was performing at Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, Australia on Wednesday (October 30) when the incident took place.

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In a video that has made its round on social media, Yorke can be heard responding to the heckler: “Come up on stage, stand right here if you want to say something. Don’t stand back there like a coward, come up here. You want to piss on everyone’s night? I guess you do. Okay, see you later.”

Thom Yorke has ‘stormed off’ the stage after being heckled by an alleged pro-Palestine protester.Thom Yorke has ‘stormed off’ the stage after being heckled by an alleged pro-Palestine protester.
Thom Yorke has ‘stormed off’ the stage after being heckled by an alleged pro-Palestine protester. | WireImage

Following this, Yorke put down his guitar and walked off stage, leaving the audience shouting in disappointment. It is not known exactly what the heckler said, but he could be heard referencing the death toll in Gaza.

It is understood that Yorke came back to the stage and played Karma Police as the final song, but the set was not shortened as the incident took place right at the end of the set.

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Since 2005, several artists have lent their support to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, a Palestinian-led global call to action for a total cultural boycott on Israel until the country closes the West Bank barrier and reinstates Palestinians’ “right of return”.

Despite the calls for boycott, Radiohead performed in Tel Aviv on July 19, 2017, at Hayarkon Park, marking their first appearance in Israel since 2000. Yorke defended the decision, saying that performing in a country does not equate to endorsing its government.

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