“As we were saying…Free Palestine”
Massive Attack and political activism have gone hand-in-hand for a number of years now, especially with the rising tensions of Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
From boycotting any shows performed in Israel over the past 20 years to a 2025 arrest against the group’s frontman during a London protest for Palestine Action, now the group finds itself with a performance ban.
During a recent concert at The Star Performing Arts Centre in Singapore on July 29, the band spontaneously displayed a Palestinian flag, urging fans to chant ‘Free Palestine’.
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The stunt led to authorities issuing ‘stern warnings’ against several members of the band and a subsequent ban on re-entering or performing in Singapore.
Now that the dust has settled, the trip hop group has shared its side of the story on August 2.
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“We were surprised and disappointed that our entire band was detained by police, isolated and separately questioned”
“We did not imagine that merely holding up the flag of a sovereign state recognised by 157 countries would violate any law”
“We are proud to have made this impromptu expression to our fans…who clearly felt a moral imperative to show solidarity with the people of Palestine”
The band concluded by sharing they were grateful for the support of their fans in Singapore and hope that the Singaporean Government chooses to “ratify the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights & allow their citizens expressions of conscience without fear of state prosecution”.
The stunt in Singapore follows just a month after the band’s frontman Robert Del Naja, revealed that he had invited Arab Barghouti to speak before the group’s headline set at Primavera Sound in Barcelona.
Aarab Barghouti is a Palestinian activist who is the son of Marwan Barghouti, a politician who has remained imprisoned by Israel since 2002.
The Barcelona set was ultimately cancelled because of extreme weather.
Whether stopped via weather or authority, Massive Attack will not stop supporting the ongoing violence, displacement and genocide occurring in the Palestine.
