Massive Attack speaks out after being banned from Singapore over Palestinian flag

British trip hop band Massive Attack has responded to the actions taken by Singaporean authorities following their concert at the Star Theatre on 29 July. During the show, band members Robert Del Naja, also known as 3D, and Grant Marshall, also known as Daddy G, displayed a Palestinian flag on stage. On top of that, large sections of the audience spontaneously chanted slogans like "Free Palestine" both before and after the performance. The authorities subsequently launched an investigation through the police and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).

On Saturday, the Singaporean police and the IMDA announced that Del Naja and Marshall had received official warnings for suspected violations of the Foreign National Emblems (Control of Display) Act and the Public Order Act. Singapore prohibits the public display of foreign flags, national emblems or banners without a permit, and is well known for its strict laws around free speech and public gatherings. Both band members have also been banned from entering the country, and any future applications to perform in Singapore will not be approved.

On Sunday, Massive Attack published a statement on Instagram. The band wrote that they were "surprised and disappointed" that all band members were detained by police after the show, individually questioned, and that some members had their hotel rooms searched and their passports temporarily confiscated. "We had not expected that holding up the flag of a sovereign state recognised by 157 countries would violate any law," the band wrote in the statement.

The band also made clear that they are proud of the gesture. "We are proud to have made this spontaneous expression together with our fans in Singapore, who clearly felt a moral need to show solidarity with the people of Palestine," they wrote. They described the experience as "surreal" but also saw it as a reminder of the importance of standing up for universal human rights and freedom of expression. As a comparison, they drew a parallel to the situation in the United Kingdom, where peaceful protesters are, according to the band, being arrested under anti terrorism laws for holding handwritten signs against genocide. Del Naja himself was arrested in April during a demonstration in London against the ban on Palestine Action, a group that has been designated a proscribed organisation in the United Kingdom.

The statement closed with a message of thanks to the people of Singapore and a call on the Singaporean government to ratify the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, so that citizens can express their conscience without fear of prosecution by the state. The case has attracted global attention and is relevant to Dutch music fans as well: Massive Attack has been known for its politically engaged stance for decades and has a large following in the Netherlands and across the rest of Europe.