BDS campaigners urge for boycott of Radiohead 2025 tour
PACBI campaigners pointed to guitarist Jonny Greenwood's string of performances in Israel, where he most recent played in March 2025.
Boycott Divest Sanction (BDS) campaigners have called for a boycott of Radiohead's forthcoming UK and European tour.
The group announced their first tour in seven years yesterday (August 3), with a string of 20 dates in London, Bologna, Madrid, Copenhagen and Berlin across November and December.
In response to the announcement, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) called for fans to boycott Radiohead's forthcoming shows, accusing the band of "silence and complicity" around Israel's ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
In an Instagram post, PACBI references Radiohead's decision to play in Israel despite BDS sanctions in 2017, alongside lead guitarist Jonny Greenwood's performances in Tel Aviv alongside Israeli musician David "Dudu" Tassa in May 2024 and March 2025.
"Even as Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza reaches its latest, most brutal and depraved phase of induced starvation, Radiohead continues with its complicit silence," PACBI's statement reads.
The campaign group called on Radiohead to distance itself "at a minimum" from Greenwood's decision to play in Israel, reiterating calls for "a boycott of Radiohead concerts, including its rumoured tour".
Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has also been criticised by pro-Palestine campaigners after confronting a protester who had urged him to vocalise his opposition to the genocide during a gig in Australia last year.
When a crowdmember questioned, "How many dead children will it take?", Yorke reportedly replied: "Don't stand there like a coward, come here and say it. You want to piss on everybody's night? Ok, you do it, see you later," before halting his set.
Since then, Yorke has released a statement condemning the actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while criticising what he labelled "social media witch hunts" from pro-Palestine activists.
You can read PACBI's full statement, below.
Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter.
