Massive Attack Banned From Singapore After Displaying Palestinian Flag Onstage

The U.K. physics set Massive Attack has been banned from Singapore because of its pro-Palestinian activism onstage, nan group said.

The group unfurled a Palestinian emblem during a capacity astatine nan Star Theatre successful Singapore connected July 29. The set said constabulary detained them aft nan show, and that an investigation led to nan set being forbidden from performing successful nan country.

The federation of Singapore has strict laws against displaying overseas flags aliases nationalist symbols without a permit.

Massive Attack, which consists of Robert “3D” Del Naja and Grant “Daddy G” Marshall, described nan arena arsenic a “surreal experience” in a station connected Instagram.

“We were amazed and disappointed that our full set was detained by nan police, isolated and separately questioned – pinch immoderate members subjected to edifice room searches and impermanent passport confiscation,” it read.

“Before we group ft connected nan shape and again astatine nan extremity of nan show, ample sections of nan auditorium organically led chants of ‘Free Palestine’, presumably alert but undeterred that this spontaneous look unsocial could break their government’s censorship laws.”

“For our part,” nan connection continued, “we did not ideate that simply holding up nan emblem of a sovereign authorities recognised by 157 countries would break immoderate law.”

In a connection issued Saturday, cited by nan Guardian, Singapore constabulary and nan section Infocomm Media Development Authority said that Del Naja and Marshall had been investigated for “their actions of support for a governmental origin and unfurling of a overseas flag,” violating Singapore’s Foreign National Emblems (Control of Display) Act and nan Public Order Act.

The constabulary said they “take a superior position of acts which could perchance harm nan group and belief harmony successful Singapore and impulse nan public, including foreigners, to refrain from importing overseas authorities arsenic this tin undermine our societal cohesion and nan norm of law.”

The connection said Del Naja and Marshall would “be banned from re-entering Singapore” and are forbidden from performing location again.

The set did not backmost down from its onstage motion aliases its longstanding pro-Palestinian activism, stating that “On reflection, we are proud to person made this impromptu look pinch our fans successful Singapore who intelligibly felt a civilized imperative to show solidarity pinch nan group of Palestine successful their ongoing reality of forbidden occupation, apartheid and genocide, and we salute their courageousness successful doing so. Right crossed nan world, nan continued inaction of nan ‘international community’ is moving citizens to individual risk.”

Del Naja was recently arrested at a caller protestation successful support of nan group Palestine Action successful London.