Robert Del Naja of
Massive Attack has issued a statement following his arrest at a demonstration in Trafalgar Square over the weekend, where around 500 people were detained on suspicion of showing support for a proscribed organisation.
The Massive Attack frontman was filmed being approached by officers before being carried away, with fellow protestors cheering as he was led off. The demonstration took place in opposition to the banning of Palestine Action.
Responding to the events, Del Naja described the situation as absurd, stating: "Throughout the Israeli genocide in Gaza most people, myself included, felt like they were gradually going mad. How could the world, including the British government, possibly allow this to happen? That sense of madness was compounded by the inexplicable policies of many British news outlets (including the BBC) who refused to name the identity committing one atrocity after another, after another. It was Israel, & everybody knew it was Israel. Why wouldn't they say so?"
Turning to the circumstances of his own detention, he said: "On the topic of madness, in Britain in 2026 you can be arrested under the Terrorism Act for sitting in silence, holding a cardboard sign stating that you oppose genocide & support non-violent action to prevent it."
Del Naja expanded further: "Of course, everyone knows this is total madness (including many of the police officers making these arrests, and the High Court judges who recently ruled them unlawful), and yet, somehow it continues. Everyone also knows that the sheer desperation of 'Palestine Action' activists vandalising military equipment isn't terrorism. No one actually believes that."
Directing his criticism at the government, he wrote: "Many members of, & senior advisers to this government belong to a 'war is peace' ideological party block that ignored millions of peaceful marchers to illegally invade Iraq. Their brand of arrogance & callous indifference creates the human desperation they're hellbent on crushing in the courts. Via the present mode of distraction, Keir Starmer & Shabana Mahmood hope they can hide in plain sight the fact that their actions supported a genocide – a monumental crime that they know very well the British public opposed. Frankly, they hope we're that stupid. They're wrong."
Offering a path forward, Del Naja added: "The sense of madness can be overcome. We can demand that our government upholds international laws that previous generations sacrificed their lives for. UK citizens will feel less desperation (& our overwhelmed courts will be quieter) if our country acts with the integrity of neighbours such as Spain; calmly declining the use of their territory & assets for illegal US / Israeli war crimes."
Wrapping up, Del Naja wrote that "a few hours in police custody under unlawful arrest is a very small price to pay. Our democracy, & the civil rights & liberties that now sit in constitutional law were literally built on small actions like these. Perhaps that's why this draconian government wants to crush them? Free Palestine. No wars."
With Massive Attack gearing up for summer touring, Del Naja told the Press Association he remained undeterred by potential consequences. "Being a musician, obviously, there was a lot of trepidation around how we might not be able to travel and get visas," he explained. "But I thought 'this is ridiculous' and then the police making that U-turn to arrest people again, I thought that is even more ridiculous. So I'm going to hold a sign today. If I get arrested, I feel very confident that if I stand up in court with the right guidance and say, 'This was an unlawful arrest and, therefore, I don't accept it'."
Last year, Massive Attack established an alliance aimed at supporting musicians facing "intimidations from within our industry" over their support for Gaza.
