In a recent eight-slide post on his official Instagram account (@thomyorke), the United Kingdom musician began by referencing a pro-Palestine concertgoer who shouted at him during a performance in Australia last year.

“Some guy shouting at me from the dark last year when I was picking up a guitar to sing the final song alone in front of 9000 people in Melbourne didn’t really seem like the best moment to discuss the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza,” Yorke wrote. Yorke, who also fronts the band The Smile, continued: “Afterwards I remained in shock that my supposed silence was somehow being taken as complicity, and I struggled to find an adequate way to respond to this and carry on with the rest of the shows on the tour.”

While Yorke condemned the Israeli government, stating “Netanyahu and his crew of extremists are totally out of control and need to be stopped”, it was a later slide in the post that drew criticism from Indonesian musicians.

In slide four, Yorke wrote: “While our lives tick along as normal these endless thousands of innocent human souls are still being expelled from the earth… for what?

“At the same time, the unquestioning Free Palestine refrain that surrounds us all does not answer the simple question of why the hostages have still not all been returned. For what possible reason?

“Why did Hamas choose the truly horrific acts of October 7th? The answer seems obvious, and I believe Hamas chooses to hide behind the suffering of its people, in an equally cynical fashion for their own purposes.”

In a now-expired Instagram Story post from his account @wordfangs, Baskara responded, as reported by medcom.id: “Dear @thomyorke, perlawanan tidak datang tanpa sebab. Dunia tidak dimulai pada 7 Oktober. Tanpa perlawanan, Palestina sudah tiada,” which translates to, “Resistance does not come without reason. The world did not begin on October 7. Without resistance, Palestine would no longer exist.”

Baskara went on to express disappointment, pointing out that Yorke’s artistic legacy, known for its critique of extremism and injustice, appears misaligned with his current position.

“Coming from the band that wrote Hail to the Thief, this is deeply disappointing, especially as a fan. The silence speaks volumes,” said the award-winning musician.

Meanwhile, Arian13 offered a harsher take via the platform X, accusing Yorke of bias.

“Thom Yorke isn’t stupid, but as a person, he’s a [expletive] person. He just doesn’t care about Palestine,” wrote Arian13 (@aparatmati).