Roger Waters vs. Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood

The former Pink Floyd member, known for his vocal anti-Israel political stances, lashes out at Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood over their decision to perform in Israel.

Roger Waters hated Israel even before October 7, but since then he has not spared his scandalous statements. Now the Pink Floyd bassist is also turning to colleagues in the music world who are not linked to the situation – or rather are in his eyes: Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood from the band Radiohead.

Roger Waters has once again expressed his opposition to Radiohead's decision to play in Israel, a choice he calls irresponsible. In a recent interview for the documentary series Empire Files, Waters called Thom Yorke an “idiot” and described him as a person “deeply unstable”.

Waters recalled an email exchange between him and Yorke from 2017, where he attempted to chat with the singer after he criticized Radiohead for a concert in Tel Aviv. According to Waters, Yorke ignored attempts at dialogue, leading him to conclude: “He can't even have a conversation. He thinks he’s very smart, but he’s not.”

Radiohead defends its position

In response to Waters' criticism, Thom Yorke said in 2017: “Playing in a country is not the same as endorsing its government.”

For his part, Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood recently collaborated with Israeli artist Dudu Tassa and said: “Silencing Israeli artists because they were born Jewish in Israel does not seem to be a solution to finding common ground between the two camps.”

Waters : “It’s not a conflict, it’s a genocide”

For Roger Waters, the situation in Palestine is clear: “There is no argument to be made. It’s not a conflict, it’s a genocide.” He accuses Radiohead of minimizing the oppression experienced by Palestinians and harshly criticizes its artistic engagement in Israel.

Waters also didn't spare Jonny Greenwood, calling his collaborations with Israeli artists “bullshit”.

Waters also didn't spare his half Johnny Greenwood, who worked last summer with his uncle Tessa. Greenwood came to perform with Tessa in Israel in May, and the day before the show, he participated in a protest for the release of hostages in Gaza. The two played songs from their joint album of Arabic love songs released last year, and when Greenwood was attacked for his decision to perform in Israel, he attacked the “silence of Israeli artists”.

This is not the first time that Waters has criticized them in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After Radiohead decided to perform in Israel in 2017, Waters, an ardent supporter of the BDS movement since 2011, signed an open letter urging the band to cancel the show in Israel. Radiohead, of course, still came to perform at Yarkon Park.