Politics in London during the Brexit Protest March on 2 July 2016 In 2002, Geldof appeared in an advertisement opposing the possibility of the United Kingdom joining the
single EU currency, saying it was "not anti-European to be against the euro". He also criticised the
European Union in 2004 for what he called its "pathetic" response to
Ethiopia's food crisis.
MEP Glenys Kinnock responded that Geldof's comments were "unhelpful and misinformed". In 2003, during a visit to
Ethiopia, Geldof praised U.S. President
George W. Bush's proposal to fight
AIDS in Africa. In December 2005, Geldof agreed to give advice on global poverty to the
Conservative Party. He stated, however, that he was uninterested in party politics: "I've said I'll shake hands with the devil on my
left and the devil on my
right to get to where we need to be." Ahead of the
2024 United Kingdom general election Geldof posted a video endorsing the re-election of
Conservative candidate and
Minister of State for Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell. In July 2025, Geldof accused Israeli authorities of "lying" about the
famine caused by the
Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. "Israel is preventing food from reaching hungry, terrified, and exhausted mothers. While these mothers gather to receive a small amount of food through the absurd spectacle created under the guise of humanitarian aid, they are enticed and then mercilessly shot, he said.
Freedom of Dublin, Easter Rising and Aung San Suu Kyi comments In 2016, when Ireland was marking the 100th anniversary of the
Easter Rising, Geldof caused controversy when he likened
Patrick Pearse's call for a "blood sacrifice" to the dogma of
Islamist suicide bombers. The uprising in Dublin against British rule was a key event that led to Irish independence. In 2018, Geldof called the Easter Rising the "
original sin" of the Irish state, rejecting the idea that the blood sacrifice of 1916 was heroic, and linking it to the isolationism and theocratic oppression of
de Valera's Ireland, while viewing the
Irish Famine as the true linchpin moment in Irish history that shaped the country’s trajectory. In 2017, Geldof returned his
Freedom of Dublin award in protest at Burmese leader
Aung San Suu Kyi holding the same honour. He said he does not want to be associated "with an individual currently engaged in the
mass ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya people". He added that if Suu Kyi "is stripped of her Dublin Freedom, perhaps the council would see fit to restore to me that which I take such pride in". One month later, Dublin City Council voted to revoke the Freedom of the City from both Suu Kyi and Geldof, with several councillors saying Geldof had "insulted" Dublin. Geldof was furious at the decision to revoke his award, calling it a "
Sinn Féin stitch-up" because of his Easter Rising comments.
Brexit Geldof opposed
Brexit, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, and repudiated it as "an expression of English nationalism", describing it as a serious mistake and predicting it would be a "disaster" for both Britain and Ireland. He criticised the British government under Prime Minister
Theresa May as "incapable and inept". He contrasted its handling of the issue with what he saw as the patient and pragmatic approach of the Irish government, emphasising that in Ireland "we know where [nationalism] leads to". While arguing against Brexit, he acknowledged the broader debate over Europe’s future and argued that the European Union itself needed restructuring from top to bottom. Shortly before the
Brexit referendum on 23 June 2016, in what was described as the "most surreal day in British politics ever", Geldof led a flotilla on the River Thames to attack an opposition flotilla led by Eurosceptic politician
Nigel Farage. Later that year, Geldof campaigned for the
Liberal Democrat candidate
Sarah Olney at the
Richmond Park by-election. He described
Brexit as "the greatest act of national self-harm" in British history and vowed to "undermine"
Theresa May every step of the way. He said the EU was "a mess" but warned Britain's young people had their futures "taken from them" as a result of the referendum.
Anti-authoritarianism Geldof has criticised
authoritarian leaders around the world. In 2016, he denounced
Putin,
Erdogan,
Xi Jinping and
Donald Trump as "thugs", adding in 2020 that "Putin is a weak man, a gangster. Xi Jinping is a repressive dictator. Erdogan is a religious fantasist, Trump is a vulgar fool".
Fathers' rights From January 2002 until sometime in 2005, Geldof listened very closely to
Father's Rights campaigners; it was reported that he had sacks of mail arriving at his door on a daily basis from fathers who were unhappy with the British family courts. He said, "I am heartbroken. I just cannot believe what happens to people, what is done to them in the name of the law. You only have to open your eyes to see what I call the 'Sad Dads on Sundays Syndrome'". He has also called for the
Children Act to be repealed and his latest statement to Father's Rights campaigners was, "It's not in my nature to shut up".
Climate action and environmentalism In 2007, Bob Geldof contributed to an online debate on hybrid cars and climate change, expressing scepticism about the effectiveness of renewable energy initiatives. While acknowledging he drove a hybrid car mainly to avoid London’s congestion charge, he described hybrid technology as "not coherent" and dismissed wind and wave power as "Mickey Mouse". Geldof argued that behavioural change through taxation can influence actions, but technologies like hybrids alone are insufficient to address climate change. He advocated for a rapid expansion of nuclear power as the most effective way to reduce environmental impact. In March 2012, Geldof expressed concern about
rising population and falling
water levels in Arab countries. He also predicted
famine,
plague, and
wars if the population did not stabilise. Geldof asked countries to lower their birth rates to lessen the burden on the environment. "We must see the possibility of life, not just to individual children, but to the human species," he said "And I'm not that optimistic." In a 2019 Guardian article, Geldof discussed his climate action views; He noted that after decades of decline, global hunger has begun rising again, with 820 million people facing chronic food insecurity, and that smallholder farmers are particularly affected by extreme weather events. He also emphasised that food production contributes to climate change through methane emissions and deforestation. Geldof argued that achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly zero hunger, requires immediate investment in smallholder farmers and coordination among governments, international organisations, and private actors. He cited the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme as an example of effective international cooperation and noted upcoming global summits as opportunities to address hunger while maintaining environmental sustainability. In October 2022, Bob Geldof expressed support for climate activists who threw soup over
Van Gogh's Sunflowers at the
National Gallery in London, describing their actions as "1,000% right" and "clever" because the painting was protected by glass and not damaged. He acknowledged that while the act was annoying, it drew attention to the urgency of climate change, which he considered a greater threat than temporary disruption. Geldof also commented on the broader climate movement, stating he supported the passion and bravery of activists and rejected the idea that Western humanitarian efforts should be dismissed as “white saviour” interventions.
Sex work and AIDS prevention During a special session at the
XX International AIDS Conference, 2014, Geldof referred to
sex workers as "
hookers", for which he was subsequently criticised. Christian Vega, a
sex workers' rights activist, criticised speakers (including Geldof) for their use of what he viewed as pejorative language; Vega contended that this language perpetuated stigmas that are among the key barriers to HIV prevention. Geldof responded to the criticism during the closing session of the conference: "I read today in the paper that my talk yesterday was littered with profanities – fuck them." In Geldof's view, rights-based language hampered HIV prevention, and he defended using terms such as "hookers" and "
junkies": "Let's not get distracted by diversionary language. Let's call it as it is." In a radio show after the conference on
Joy 94.9, Vega dismissed Geldof's view that rights-based language was a waste of time as "ridiculous". In Vega's view, this language served as an important tool to challenge
stigma and discrimination, particularly within an HIV context. ==Awards and honours==