Massive Attack have spoken out after two band members were banned from Singapore for displaying the Palestinian flag onstage during a concert.
“Following our performance at the Star Theatre, Singapore, on 29th July, we were surprised and disappointed that our entire band was detained by the police, isolated and separately questioned – with some members subjected to hotel room searches and temporary passport confiscation,” the band wrote in a post on Instagram on Sunday.
“Before we set foot on the stage and again at the end of the show, large sections of the auditorium organically led chants of ‘Free Palestine,’ presumably aware but undeterred that this spontaneous expression alone could violate their government’s censorship laws. For our part, we did not imagine that merely holding up the flag of a sovereign state recognized by 157 countries would violate any law.”
They continued, “On reflection, we are proud to have made this impromptu expression with our fans in Singapore who clearly felt a moral imperative to show solidarity with the people of Palestine in their ongoing reality of illegal occupation, apartheid and genocide, and we salute their courage in doing so. Right across the world, the continued inaction of the ‘international community’ is moving citizens to personal risk.”
The band added that the “surreal experience” was a “reminder of the importance of defending universal human rights and freedom of expression, wherever those rights are threatened, including at home in the UK where, extraordinarily, we still see peaceful protestors arrested under terrorism laws for holding up handwritten signs protesting genocide – despite appeals from all sides of the political spectrum.”
The post concluded by thanking “the people of Singapore who made us feel so welcome.” The band added they hope “the Government of Singapore will choose to ratify the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and allow their citizens expressions of conscience without fear of state prosecution.”
Following the band’s concert in Singapore on Wednesday night, local authorities confirmed the police and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) had opened a probe against them for reportedly waving a Palestinian flag onstage and leading the audience in a “Free Palestine” chant.
On Saturday, authorities confirmed that band members Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall were “banned from re-entering Singapore” and that any future applications for them to perform there would not be approved.
While Singapore’s national stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict is belief in a “two-state solution” and allowing Palestine to join the United Nations, the country has still clamped down on “the public display and wearing of articles” in relation to the Gaza war, Singapore’s home affairs ministry said in 2023 (via the BBC).
“We must not let events happening externally affect this peace and harmony we have in Singapore,” the home affairs ministry said at the time. Additionally, the Singapore government has barred the public display of foreign national emblems — like the Palestinian flag —without a permit or exemption, which the band reportedly did not have. The statement on Saturday noted that Del Naja and Marshall were investigated for “their actions of support for a political cause and unfurling of a foreign flag.”
Massive Attack are among the more vocal supporters of Palestine in the music scene. Earlier this year, frontman Robert Del Naja was arrested at a London demonstration for the cause.
