A day after Radiohead confirmed it will embark on its first tour in seven years, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement urged fans to shun the band.
On Wednesday, the British rock group announced a European and UK tour set for November and December, with stops in Madrid, Bologna, London, Copenhagen and Berlin.
Shortly after the announcement, BDS issued a statement through PACBI, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.
“Even as Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza reaches its final, brutal and degenerative phase of deliberate starvation, Radiohead continues its silence and complicity,” the statement read. It singled out guitarist Jonny Greenwood, accusing him of “crossing our picket line repeatedly by performing a short drive away from a live-streamed massacre, alongside an Israeli artist [Dudu Tassa] who entertains Israeli forces responsible for the massacre.”
PACBI called on supporters to boycott Radiohead, including the upcoming tour, “until the band distances itself from Jonny Greenwood’s actions during Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.”
Greenwood has performed in Tel Aviv several times in the past two years with Israeli musician Dudu Tassa, as part of their Jarak Qaribak project, which celebrates Arabic music from across the region. A string of shows planned for the UK in June was canceled under pressure from BDS activists. The group argued the concerts would “whitewash Israel’s crimes against Palestinians in Gaza” and accused Greenwood and Tassa of “using art to launder war crimes.”
Following the cancellations, Greenwood responded: “Venues and crews received threats that made the shows unsafe to proceed. Forcing musicians not to play is censorship. It will not bring peace and justice. We don’t consider this cancellation a victory.”
Radiohead previously came under fire in 2017 for performing in Tel Aviv despite heavy pressure to cancel. Among those who signed an open letter against the show was former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters.
The band has played in Israel three other times: in 1993 at the start of its career, in 1995 as R.E.M.’s opening act, and again in 2000 with concerts in Tel Aviv and Caesarea.
At the time, frontman Thom Yorke defended the decision, saying: “Playing in a country isn’t the same as endorsing its government. We don’t support Netanyahu any more than we supported Trump.”
Yorke has repeatedly clashed with boycott activists over the years, including a confrontation in Melbourne last October. He has criticized both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and BDS supporters, whom he accuses of misrepresenting his silence. In May, Yorke published a lengthy post explaining that his silence stemmed from an attempt to respect victims — but said that admission had been exploited “to intimidate and defame.”
Ticket sales for the new tour will open Friday on the band’s official website.