"Boycott Advocacy": BDS movement urges refusal to attend Radiohead's 2025 concert tour due to alleged complicity in undisclosed issues
Radiohead Faces Boycott Calls Over Israel Performances
In a series of events, the British rock band Radiohead has found themselves at the centre of a controversy surrounding their planned performances in Israel.
Thom Yorke, the band's frontman, shared a post in May 2025, expressing his stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict. This post has since sparked debate and criticism from various groups, including the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).
PACBI welcomed the cancellations of performances by Yorke's bandmate, Jonny Greenwood, with Dudu Tassa in Tel Aviv last year. The performances were scheduled to take place in June 2025, but were cancelled following backlash from pro-Palestinian campaigners. PACBI claimed that these performances would have "whitewashed" the war in Gaza.
In response, Yorke stated that playing in a country isn't the same as endorsing its government. He compared playing in Israel to playing in America, implying that artists should not be held accountable for the political decisions of their hosts.
The BDS movement, a pro-Palestine group, has called for a boycott of Radiohead's upcoming tour, citing the band's "complicit silence" and support of Israeli performers during the "genocide against Palestinians in Gaza". The movement's social media page shared a message from PACBI, criticizing Radiohead for not apologizing for their 2017 show in Tel Aviv.
Greenwood and Tassa, in a joint statement, addressed the cancellations, stating that forcing musicians not to perform and denying people who want to hear them is a method of censorship and silencing. They argued that art should be free to exist above and beyond politics.
Yorke has also spoken out against the boycott, stating that his silence on the conflict allowed opportunistic groups to use intimidation and defamation. He emphasized that his music should be enough to prove he "could not possibly support any form of extremism or dehumanization of others".
Despite the controversy, Radiohead has confirmed a run of shows in the UK and EU in November and December of 2025, which are their first live dates in over seven years. Tickets for these shows can be applied for on the band's official website.
It remains to be seen how this controversy will affect the band's upcoming tour, but one thing is certain: Radiohead's decision to perform in Israel has sparked a heated debate, with both supporters and critics voicing their opinions on the matter.
Read also:
- Understanding Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis: Key Facts
- Stopping Osteoporosis Treatment: Timeline Considerations
- Expanded Community Health Involvement by CK Birla Hospitals, Jaipur, Maintained Through Consistent Outreach Programs Across Rajasthan
- Reducing Anxiety Through Nutrition: Edibles That Soothe the Mind
