Thom Yorke of Radiohead shares a message on Israel and Gaza

Through his official social channels, Thom Yorke has published a long message to explain his position on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. A declaration to publicly face the theme linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in progress, entrusted to the network, the frontman of Radiohead and The Smile opened his own writing remembering an episode that happened during a concert in Australia last year, when a pro-Palestine spectator screamed against him about the war.

“When last year a guy, in the dark, shouted me against me while I was taking the guitar in his hand to sing the last song alone in front of 9000 people in Melbourne, I did not really seem the best time to face the humanitarian catastrophe in progress in Gaza”, wrote Yorke: “After that episode I was shocked by the fact that my presumed silence was interpreted as a complicity, struggled to find an adequate way to answer and continue the rest of the tour “.

In his declaration, Yorke then clearly expressed his opposition to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, as he had already done in 2017, when Radiohead played in Israel: “I think Netanyahu and his clique of extremists are completely out of control and should be stopped, and that the international community must do everything possible to exercise pressure so that they stop,” ‘Defense’ has long lost credibility and has been replaced by an evident desire to take permanent control of Gaza and the West Bank “. I have been “horrible” the blocking of humanitarian aid towards Gaza, the musician also condemned Hamas, criticizing the Palestinian Islamist group for attacks on October 7, 2023, who started the military response of Israel in the region: “Why did Hamas chose to perform so horrible acts on October 7th? people, in an equally cynical way, for their ends “.

Then reflecting on the debate, largely online, about Israel and Palestine, Thom Yorke added: “I completely understand the desire to ‘do something’ when we witness so much suffering on our devices every day. It has perfect sense. But now I think it is a dangerous illusion to believe that sharing posts or writing messages of one or two phrases is significant, especially if it is only used to condemn other human beings. He concluded: “I am sure that, so far, what I wrote will not satisfy in any way those who have chosen to target me or those who work with me. They will spend time looking for flaws and reasons to continue. We are an opportunity not to be missed, without doubt – on both sides. I wrote this with the simple hope of being able to unite me to the many millions of people who pray that this suffering, this isolation and this death will end up in the Humanity, our dignity and our ability to understand … that one day, soon, this darkness will be over “.

Despite this represents the first public intervention Yorke on the war between Israel and Hamas, the Radiohead had already been the subject of controversy in 2017 when they decided to play in Israel despite the protests that asked them to cancel the concert. Among those who tried to cancel the live at the Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv there were Roger Waters – who attacked Yorke last year – Thurston Moore, the Young Fathers and the Archbishop Desmond Tutu, signatories of an open letter from the Artists for Palestine UK collective. That year, some activists also organized a protest at Glastonbury, won 100 Palestinian flags in front of the Pyramid Stage during the set. Yorke replied following the controversies declaring: “Playing in a country does not equate to approve of its government. We do not approve Netanyahu more than we approve Trump”.

Last spring, Jonny Greenwood also divided fans playing Tel Aviv. The concert took place the day after his participation in an event to ask for the release of the hostages and new elections in Israel. Some pro-Palestine activists accused him of “cleaning up a genocide with art” by participating in the concert anyway. The following month, Greenwood defended his participation in a musical project with the Israeli artist Dudu Tassa, and expressed himself against “silence Israeli artists only because he was born Jews in Israel”. This month he released a new statement after the cancellation of some concerts in the United Kingdom of the duo due to the protests for a boycott.

Follows the full text of Thom Yorke’s declaration:

When last year a guy, in the dark, screamed me against me while I was taking the guitar in his hand to sing the last song alone in front of 9000 people in Melbourne, I did not really seem the best time to face the humanitarian catastrophe in progress in Gaza.

Afterwards, I was shocked by the fact that my alleged silence was somehow interpreted as complicity, and I struggled to find an adequate way to answer and continue the rest of the tour.

That silence – my attempt to show respect for all the people who are suffering and for those who have died, and not to trivialize everything with a few words – has allowed other opportunistic groups to use intimidation and defamation to fill the voids, and I am sorry to have given him this opportunity. This had a heavy impact on my mental health.

I hope that for anyone who has ever listened to a note from my music, or looked at a graphic work, or read my texts, it is evident that I could never support any form of extremism or inhumanization. In a work of work with my colleagues musicians and artists, everything we have done was opposed to this type of things, trying to create works that go beyond the concept of being controlled, threatened, forced, suffering, intimidated … and instead encourage critical thinking beyond the borders, the universality of love and experience, the free creative expression.

It sounds a little trivial … but it’s true.

For all the others, now I clarify things.

I think Netanyahu and his clique of extremists are completely out of control and should be stopped, and that the international community must do everything possible to exercise pressure so that they stop. Their justification of the “defense” has long lost credibility and has been replaced by an evident desire to take permanent control of Gaza and the West Bank.

I believe that this ultra-nationalist administration has hidden behind a terrified and mourning people, using it to reject any criticism, exploiting that fear and pain to carry on their agenda with terrible consequences, as we are seeing with the horrible block of aid in Gaza.

While our lives normally flow, thousands of innocent souls continue to be torn from this world … for what?

At the same time, the slogan “free Palestine” repeated acritically by everyone does not answer the simple question: why have all the hostages have not yet been freed? Why?

Why did Hamas choose so horrible acts on October 7th? The answer seems obvious, and I believe that Hamas also chooses to hide behind the suffering of his people, in an equally cynical way, for his ends.

There is another point, extremely important, to be raised.

The witch hunts on social media (nothing new) by both sides, who press pressure on artists and on those who happen to push them to make declarations, only serve to increase tension, fear and trivialization of complex problems that deserve a face -to -face debate between people who sincerely want the end of the killings and a real dialogue.

This deliberate polarization is useless, perpetuates the mentality of the “us against them”. It destroys hope and feeds the sense of isolation, exactly the things on which the extremists leverage to maintain their power. If we assume that the extremists and the people who claim to represent are the same thing, we help them camouflage themselves to the sunlight.

If our world ever manages to get out of these dark times and to find peace, it will only be when we rediscover what we have in common, and we will point out the extremists in the shadow from which they came.

I completely understand the desire to “do something” when we witness so much suffering on our devices every day. It makes perfect sense. But now I think it’s a dangerous illusion to believe that sharing posts or writing messages from one or two phrases is significant, especially if it only serves to condemn other human beings. There are unwanted consequences.

It is screaming from the dark. It’s not looking in the eyes when we talk. It is to make dangerous assumptions. It is not a debate, it is not critical thinking.

And above all, it is vulnerable to any type of online manipulation, both mechanical and political.

What is the alternative? It is not easy to answer. However, I know that, all over the world, today this theme has become dangerously toxic and we find ourselves in unexplored waters. We have to go back.

I am sure that, up to here, what I wrote will not satisfy those who have decided to target me or my collaborators. The time will spend the time to find bellies and reasons to continue. We are too greedy a target, on both sides.

I wrote these words with the simple hope of joining the millions of people who pray to so that this suffering, this isolation and these deaths cease, so that we can collectively find our humanity, our dignity and the ability to understand us … and that one day, soon, this darkness is behind it.